Bronys Raila ir 1940 m. birželis Lietuvoje
Bronys Raila and June, 1940 in Lithuania

Summary/Abstract: Poems by Bronys Raila, former famous member of the Lithuanian Nationalist Union, are published for the first time. These poems were written during the first days of Lithuania’s occupation (May, 1940) and eulogized the Soviet Union. The poet considered the overthrow of the authoritarian regime as the “liberation” of the Lithuanian nation and thanked the Soviet army which, according to him, came from “a free country”. Though the country was not named, it is clear that the author had in mind the Soviet Union. Raila welcomed new authorities and cherished hopes for more exciting life and creation possibilities. However, it remains unclear how the poet viewed the future of Lithuania – as an independent country or a communist one, maybe part of the Soviet Union. No doubt, in both cases Lithuania was to be dependent on the Soviet Union. Though, most probably, B. Raila created these poems seeking collaboration with the Soviet authorities, he was not welcomed by them because of his reputation as a former well-known anticommunist. Therefore, B. Raila, instead of publishing his poems, emigrated to Germany on the 21st of June where he continued his anticommunist activities. Ironically, though B. Raila repeatedly claimed the stability of his ideological views and blamed other colleagues for the lack of it, his poems reveal his own ideological inconsistency.

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