LITHUANIAN AND LETTISH LITERATURE. The literary history of the Lithuanians and Letts dates from the Ref ormation and comprises three clearly defined periods. (I) Up to 170o, when the chief printed books were of a liturgical char acter. (2) During the i8th century, when a vigorous educa tional movement began, dictionaries, grammars and other instruc tive works were compiled, and written poems began to take the place of songs preserved by oral tradition. (3) When the revival of national feeling at the beginning of the 19th century resulted in the establishment of newspapers and the collection and pub lication of the national folk-poetry. In both literatures, works of a religious character predominate, and both are rich in popu lar ballads (dainos), folk-tales and fables.
The first book printed in Lithuanian was a translation by Maivydis of Luther's shorter Catechism (Konigsberg, other translations of devotional or liturgical works followed, and by 1701 59 Lithuanian books had appeared, the most noteworthy being those of the preacher J. Bretkun (1535-1602). The spread of Calvinism led to the publication, in 1701, of a Lithuanian New Testament. The first dictionary was printed in 1749. But per haps the most remarkable work of the second period was The Four Seasons, a pastoral poem in hexameters by Christian Donali tius (1714-80), which was edited by Nesselmann (Konigsberg, 1869) with a German translation and notes. In the 19th century various collections of fables and folk-tales were published, and an epic, the Anykkjiu Silelis ("The Grove of Anykgaai"), was written by Bishop Baranauskas-Baronas. A very famous name is that of Dr. Vincas Kudirka, who wrote both the words and music of the Lithuanian national anthem He died in 1899. But it was in journalism that the chief original work of the third period was done. F. Kelch (1801-77) founded the first Lithuanian newspaper, a Protestant religious monthly published at Konigs berg; and between 1834 and 1895 no fewer than 34 Lithuanian periodicals were published in the United States alone.
Among the more prominent later writers was Jonas Ma2titilis (1862-1932), better known as Maironis, popularly styled the "Poet Prophet of the Lithuanian Renaissance," distinguished alike for his dramatic, epic and lyrical poetry. His best-known lyrics
are "Voices of Spring," "Young Lithuania" and "Our Sufferings." W. St. Vidunas, born in Lithuania Minor in 1868, is another deeply revered scholar, philosopher, poet and dramatist. Jurgis Baltru'gaitis has won fame both as a Lithuanian and a Russian lyric poet of the very first rank. Of the younger men one of the most talented and original is V. Kreve-MickevRius, who deals with essentially national themes in both prose and poetry. His greatest work in this connection is the historical drama "Skir gaila." Several women also have achieved well-deserved distinc tion in Lithuanian literature, notably Marija Pe'6kauskaite (1878 ), who writes under the pen-name of the "Witch of Satrija"; Sophie Ciurlioniene, the realist playwright, and the late Sofija Vsibilauskiene (pen-name, "The Owl of Lazdynai").
Of late western influence has made itself felt, but the inspira tion, themes and methods of expression are for the most part fundamentally Lithuanian.
Luther's Catechism (Konigsberg, 1586) was the first book printed in Lettic, as in the sister speech. In the 17th century various translations of psalms, hymns and other religious works were published, the majority being Calvinistic in tone. The edu cational movement of the i8th century was inaugurated by G. F. Stender (1714-96), author of a Lettic dictionary and grammar, of poems, tales and of a Book of Wisdom which treats of ele mentary science and history. Much educational work was sub sequently done by the Lettic Literary Society, which publishes a magazine (Magazin, Mitau, from 1827), and by the "Young Letts," who published various periodicals and translations of foreign classics, and endeavoured to free their language and thought from German influences. Somewhat similar tasks were undertaken by the "Young Lithuanians," whose first magazine the Auszra ("Dawn") was founded in 1883. The famous name of the late Dr. Jonas Basanaviaus is closely associated with this publication. From 1890 onwards the literature of both peoples was marked by an ever-increasing nationalism; among the names most prominent during this period may be mentioned those of the dramatist Steperman and the poet Martin Lap, both of whom wrote in Lettic.