The directory «Plots»

Sruoga Balys
(1896—1947)

Balys Sruoga was a Lithuanian poet, playwright, critic, and literature theorist. He contributed writings to cultural journals from his early school days. He was published by the liberal wing of Lithuanian cultural movement, and also in Lithuanian newspapers and other smaller Lithuanian presses (such as Aušrinė, Rygos Naujienos etc). Starting in 1914 he studied literature in St. Petersburg, and later, due to events of World War I and the Russian Revolution, in Moscow and lastly 1921 moved to Munich University, where he did receive Ph.D for doctoral thesis on Lithuanian folklore in 1924. After returning to Lithuania Sruoga was teaching at University of Lithuania, established Theatre seminar, that eventualy grew to academical theatre study. He was active publishing various articles on literature and theatre critics. From 1930 started writing dramas, first Milžino paunksmė later Radvila Perkūnas, Baisioji naktis and itvaras teisėjas. 1939 moved to Vilnius University. He wrote many pieces of drama and poetry during his life, but the most known of all his work is the novel "The Forest of Gods" (Dievų miškas), based on his own life experiences as a prisoner in Nazi German concentration camps, where he was sent 1943 together with other 47 notable Lithuanian intellectuals. Sruoga and the others were sent there after Nazis had started campaign against possible anti-Nazi agitators in their occupation years in Lithuania. In The Forest of Gods Balys Sruoga refused natural in such novel naturalistic method, showing life in a concentration camp in eyes of man, whose only way to serve his life and human values was to look at this all with sharp irony and humor, where torturers and their victims are exposed as non-perfect human beings, being far from false ideals of their political leaders. For example, "Human - is not a machine. Gets tired." - about the fascist beating prisoners. Perhaps, in history this moment was crucial for the fortune of the novel. It was forbidden to be issued by Soviet officials, and was published first time only ten years after the author's death, in 1957. 1945 he returned to Vilnius and continued teaching in Vilnius university, and wrote dramas Pajūrio kurortas, Barbora Radvilaitė. Refusal to publish The Forest of Gods book, and weak health after concentration camps, that never fully recovered led to his death October 16, 1947.

Lithuania, 1996, Balys Sruoga