MEČISLOVO DAVAINIO-SILVESTRAIČIO DIENORAŠTIS: LIETUVIŲ INTELIGENTO SAVIRAIŠKOS VILNIUJE LIUDININKAS (1904–1912)
THE DIARY OF MEČISLOVAS DAVAINIS-SILVESTRAITIS: A LITHUANIAN INTELLECTUAL WITNESS OF SELF-EXPRESSION IN VILNIUS (1904-1912)

Summary/Abstract: The article presents the part of the written legacy of Davainis-Silvestraitis that had not yet been published and not included into the scientific circulation – his diary written in 1904–1911, aimed at overviewing the development of the Lithuanian national movement and to evaluate the national-social activities of the Lithuanian intellectuals in Vilnius. Davainis-Silvestraitis positioned himself as a public figure for whom the description of the events of the Lithuanian national movement had to be more important than himself or his personal experiences. However, the diary of Davainis-Silvestraitis that started as being written to others, very quickly became the diary for “self” which is primarily a more interesting material for reconstruction of his own life rather than the assessment of the Lithuanian national activities in Vilnius. The diary of Davainis-Silvestraitis perfectly reveals the difficult living and livelihood opportunities for Lithuanian intellectuals in Vilnius, whose main occupation was publicist activities. In his diary, Davainis-Silvestraitis simply “drowns” among the descriptions of his unsuccessful attempts to secure material well-being working in the Vilniaus žinios bookstore, writing articles and collecting adverts for the Lietuvių laikraštis newspaper.

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