Antanas Baranauskas
| Antanas Baranauskas | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
17 January 1835 Anykščiai, Vilnius Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Died | 26 November 1902 (aged 67) Sejny, Congress Poland |
| Resting place | Bazylika Maryi Panny w Sejnach, Sejny |
| Occupation | Poet, linguist, bishop |
| Language | Lithuanian, Polish |
| Genre | Romanticism |
| Notable works | The Forest of Anykščiai |
Antanas Baranauskas (Latin: Antonius Baranovski, Polish: Antoni Baranowski; January 17, 1835 in Anykščiai – November 26, 1902) was a Lithuanian poet,mathematician and Catholic bishop of Sejny. Baranauskas is best known as the author of the Lithuanian poem Anykščių šilelis. He used various pseudonyms, including A.B., Bangputys, Jurksztas Smalaūsis, Jurkštas Smalaūsis, and Baronas. He also wrote poetry in Polish.
Baranauskas was born to a humble peasant family of Lithuanian nobility origin. Early in his youth, his parents sent him to a local parochial school. After finishing his studies there, Baranauskas initially remained in the parish. As described in his diary, between the years 1841-1843, he learned the Polish language and later between 1848–1851, Russian as well. His first attempts to write poetry and rhyme in Lithuanian, are to be found in his diaries. Later he attended a bi-yearly school for communal writers in Rumšiškės. There he started writing his first poems in Polish.
In 1853, he finished school and started working as a writer and chancellor in various towns. During this period he began a relationship with the Samogitian poet Karolina Proniewska (Karolina Praniauskaitė) and her family. The two shared a passion for the poetry of Adam Mickiewicz. Praniauskaitė suggested that Baranauskas should try to write more in Lithuanian. In 1856, Karolina's family tried to separate the couple by sponsoring Baranauskas' entry into the Catholic Seminary of Varniai. While studying there, he began to concentrate on the development of the written Lithuanian language, and wrote a commentary on Lithuanian and Samogitian dialects Apie lietuvių ir žemaičių kalbą. It was the first scholarly attempt to distinguish these different Lithuanian dialects.
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