POETAS KEIČIA SISTEMĄ? ŽVILGSNIS Į JUST. MARCINKEVIČIŲ, M. MARTINAITĮ IR S. GEDĄ VĖLYVAJAME SOVIETMETYJE
IS POET CHANGING THE SYSTEM? LOOKING BACKTO JUST. MARCINKEVIČIUS, M. MARTINAITIS AND S. GEDA DURING LATE SOCIALISM

Summary/Abstract: Cultural elites in Soviet system were actively in¬volved in the Sovietization policies. Soviet Creative unions, such as Union of Writers were not only the profession unions, but firstly the participant of the indoctrination practices, which safeguarded the of¬ficial requirements and defined what a real writer is, and what the boundaries of social realism (official line) must be maintained. ASoviet writer was one of the most publicly recognizable intellectuals, his/her role and status were highly emphasized getting assignments to spread communist values and reveal the achievements of the new order accessing wide range of the society. The cases of three Lithuanian poets, who were widely publicly recognized during soviet period, are analyzed in this article. Their relationship with soviet establishment structure, their status in the system and recognition among officials were different, but being important part of local cultural elites all of them became participant of socio-cultural changes in 70s and 80s in Lithuania, and actively involved themselves in the national revival in 1988. Just. Marcinkevičius was high-rank poet, officialy recognized by the audience and party official, his clo¬sest circle of friends starting from the mid 60’s became the leading group of local writers. Just. Marcinkevičius increasingly became leading local poet, who did not escape ideological text at the early stage of his career, but later he turned to more national themes, with his hictorical dramas uplifting ethno-historical nostalgia: this line had significant impact mobilizing national identity among the local people. Other poets M. Mar¬tinaitis and S. Geda did not had support among party official, but were known in local society and were active participants of informal circles of Vilnius’ in¬telligentsia. This informal sphere cretaed a space for otherness and alternatives in relation with the official discourse. At the establishment level those poets were often under the criticism and marginal position, but at the same time they remained in the official processes, which ensured them financial assistance and possibility to participate in official publishing and reach the wider audience. The circle of Just. Marcinkevičius embodied private interest in the local writer establishment, but at the same time it was much more progressive and less ideological line than previous leaders offered. This position also opened legal alternatives within official processes. The phenomena that the majority of local writers did not write for the drawer gives an answer why there were only few authoritative writers among the local dissent, and why part of official performances as legal opposition, which included progressive writers became very meaningful for national processes and the destruction of the Soviet system.

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