Sofija Pšibiliauskienė
Encyclopedia
Sofija Pšibiliauskienė née
Ivanauskaitė (Polish
: Zofia Przybylewska, née Iwanowska) (September 16, 1867 in Paragiai, Akmenė district – March 15, 1926 in Paragiai) and Marija Lastauskienė
were two Lithuania
n sister writers of Polish
origin, using the same pen name
Lazdynų Pelėda
(Hazel
Owl
).
stock. Pšibiliauskienė did not have formal education and self-educated reading various sentimental novels by Polish authors. In 1891 she married neighbor landowner Rapolas Pšibiliauskas (Polish
:Rafał Przybylewski), but the marriage was not a success. In 1903, with two small children, Pšibiliauskienė moved out to Vilnius
. She took random jobs as bookstore saleswoman, seamstress, pharmacy assistant, but still barely managed to avoid poverty. In 1914 she moved to Kaunas
, where she fell ill with tuberculosis
. She then returned to her childhood home in Paragiai, where she died in 1926. Since 1966 a museum is established in her former farmstead. In 1993 a monument to the sisters was erected in Vilnius
(sculptor Dalia Matulaitė, architects Jūras Balkevičius and Rimantas Buivydas).
in 1898. She first contributed to various Lithuanian periodicals, including Varpas
and Ūkininkas
. After separating from her husband and moving to Vilnius, she could spend more time writing. Her early works depict struggle between landless peasants and corrupt landowners. In short stories Klajūnas (The Wonderer, 1902) and Stebuklingoji tošelė (The Magic Reed-Pipe, 1907) Pšibiliauskienė, in a didactic tone, wrote how peasants were exploited and morally degraded by lazy and selfish estate owners. Most of her characters were oppressed by misfortunes, social injustice, and their own flaws. Her ambitious work, novella Klaida (Mistake, 1908), attempted to analyze and criticize the period leading to the Russian Revolution of 1905
(between 1890 and 1905), but failed to explain deeper causes of the revolution.
In 1907 her sister Marija Lastauskienė also moved to Vilnius. Encouraged by Pšibiliauskienė, Lastauskienė would write in Polish, her sister would translate and edit the works, and publish them under the pen name Lazdynų Pelėda
. It is unclear how many of the works published between 1905 (the first time the pen name was used) and 1927 (Sofija's death) should be attributed to Lastauskienė and how much of the original work remained after Pšibiliauskienė's edits. The public did not know that there are two people writing under the same name. Literary critics tend to treat this body of works as one item as they are similar in themes and language.
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Ivanauskaitė (Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
: Zofia Przybylewska, née Iwanowska) (September 16, 1867 in Paragiai, Akmenė district – March 15, 1926 in Paragiai) and Marija Lastauskienė
Marija Lastauskienė
Marija Lastauskienė née Ivanauskaitė and her sister Sofija Pšibiliauskienė were the Lithuanian sisters writers of Polish heritage using the pen name Lazdynų Pelėda...
were two Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n sister writers of Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
origin, using the same pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
Lazdynų Pelėda
Lazdynų Pelėda
Lazdynų Pelėda was the common pen name of two Lithuanian sisters writers:* Sofija Ivanauskaitė-Pšibiliauskienė * Marija Ivanauskaitė-Lastauskienė...
(Hazel
Hazel
The hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...
Owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
).
Biography
Pšibiliauskienė was born to an impractical painter Nikodem Iwanowski of Polish–Lithuanian nobilitySzlachta
The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
stock. Pšibiliauskienė did not have formal education and self-educated reading various sentimental novels by Polish authors. In 1891 she married neighbor landowner Rapolas Pšibiliauskas (Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
:Rafał Przybylewski), but the marriage was not a success. In 1903, with two small children, Pšibiliauskienė moved out to Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
. She took random jobs as bookstore saleswoman, seamstress, pharmacy assistant, but still barely managed to avoid poverty. In 1914 she moved to Kaunas
Kaunas
Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
, where she fell ill with tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. She then returned to her childhood home in Paragiai, where she died in 1926. Since 1966 a museum is established in her former farmstead. In 1993 a monument to the sisters was erected in Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
(sculptor Dalia Matulaitė, architects Jūras Balkevičius and Rimantas Buivydas).
Works
Pšibiliauskienė started writing after encouragement from Povilas VišinskisPovilas Višinskis
Povilas Višinskis was a Lithuanian writer, journalist, theatre director, and politician. His pen names include A. – s, Blinda, P – V, P. A., Apaštalas, P. Šiaulietis. He was one of the founders of the Lithuanian Democratic Party...
in 1898. She first contributed to various Lithuanian periodicals, including Varpas
Varpas
Varpas was a monthly Lithuanian-language newspaper published during the Lithuanian press ban from January 1889 to December 1905...
and Ūkininkas
Ūkininkas
Ūkininkas or Ukinįkas was a monthly Lithuanian-language newspaper published during the Lithuanian press ban by the editorial staff of Varpas from 1890 to 1905...
. After separating from her husband and moving to Vilnius, she could spend more time writing. Her early works depict struggle between landless peasants and corrupt landowners. In short stories Klajūnas (The Wonderer, 1902) and Stebuklingoji tošelė (The Magic Reed-Pipe, 1907) Pšibiliauskienė, in a didactic tone, wrote how peasants were exploited and morally degraded by lazy and selfish estate owners. Most of her characters were oppressed by misfortunes, social injustice, and their own flaws. Her ambitious work, novella Klaida (Mistake, 1908), attempted to analyze and criticize the period leading to the Russian Revolution of 1905
Russian Revolution of 1905
The 1905 Russian Revolution was a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire. Some of it was directed against the government, while some was undirected. It included worker strikes, peasant unrest, and military mutinies...
(between 1890 and 1905), but failed to explain deeper causes of the revolution.
In 1907 her sister Marija Lastauskienė also moved to Vilnius. Encouraged by Pšibiliauskienė, Lastauskienė would write in Polish, her sister would translate and edit the works, and publish them under the pen name Lazdynų Pelėda
Lazdynų Pelėda
Lazdynų Pelėda was the common pen name of two Lithuanian sisters writers:* Sofija Ivanauskaitė-Pšibiliauskienė * Marija Ivanauskaitė-Lastauskienė...
. It is unclear how many of the works published between 1905 (the first time the pen name was used) and 1927 (Sofija's death) should be attributed to Lastauskienė and how much of the original work remained after Pšibiliauskienė's edits. The public did not know that there are two people writing under the same name. Literary critics tend to treat this body of works as one item as they are similar in themes and language.