Mieželaitis Eduardas

(October 3, 1919, Kareiviškiai, Stačiūnai County, Joniškis District – June 6, 1997, Vilnius)
Lithuanian poet, essayist, translator, youth activist, and party figure.

Biography

In 1923, he moved with his family to Kaunas.
From 1931 to 1935, he studied at Kaunas IV Progymnasium, then continued at Kaunas III Gymnasium.
In 1935, he joined the underground Communist Youth organization.
He studied law at Vytautas Magnus University (1939–1940) and Vilnius University (1940–1941).

In 1940, he was elected to the Central Committee of the Lithuanian Communist Youth League (LKJS CK).
From 1940–1941, he was editor of the newspaper Komjaunimo tiesa.

During the Soviet-German war, he retreated to Russia and worked at a glass factory in Nikolsk, Penza Region.
From 1941–1944, he served as a war correspondent for the 16th Lithuanian Rifle Division.
From 1943–1946, he was secretary of the Central Committee of the Lithuanian Communist Youth League.
In 1946, he became editor of the magazine Jaunimo gretos, later worked for Žvaigždutė, and in the State Publishing House of Political and Fiction Literature.
From 1951 onward, he focused solely on literary work.

From 1954–1959, he served as secretary, and from 1959–1970 as chairman of the Lithuanian Writers’ Union.
From 1960–1989, he was a member of the Central Committee of the Lithuanian Communist Party (LKP CK).
He was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR (1955–1963, 1975–1989), and Vice Chairman of its Presidium (1975–1989).
From 1962–1970, he was also a deputy in the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
He is buried at Antakalnis Cemetery.

Literary Work

Eduardas Mieželaitis aimed to modernize Lithuanian lyrical poetry.
His early collections, such as Lyrika and Tėviškės vėjas, expressed wartime experience in a style reminiscent of 1930s neo-romanticism.
This decade’s culture—its themes, poetics, philosophy of art, and language—became a lasting influence, shaping his musical intonation, use of folk-song stylization, romantic mindset, and a blend of naïveté with artistry.

In 1946, his poetry was criticized at a national writers’ gathering as lacking ideological substance, leading him to focus on translation for several years.

Key Poetry Collections

Pakilusi žemė

Dainų išausiu margą raštą

Broliška poema – awarded the Lithuanian SSR State Prize in 1957; staged in 1958

Mano lakštingala – reinforced lyrical trends and influenced the younger generation of poets

In collections like Svetimi akmenys and Žvaigždžių papėdė (including the Žmogus cycle, published separately in 1962 and awarded the Lenin Prize), his central artistic stance emerged: a Renaissance view of humanity amid historical and social contrasts, celebrating universal order, vitality, and creativity.
The abstract and hyperbolized human figure, intertwined with the theme of space exploration, aligned with official Soviet ideological narratives.

His poetry of this period is intellectual and philosophical, marked by abstract vocabulary and conceptualization—but often overwhelmed by optimism and manifest-like expression.

Later Works and Forms

In later collections such as:

Lyriniai etiudai

Naktiniai drugiai

Montažai

Horizontai

Antakalnio barokas

Iliuzijos bokštas

He continued exploring themes of human nature and existence, using varied literary forms: poetic essays, journal entries, letters, stylized folk songs, cycles, ballads, sonnets, and short poems.

His poetry of the 1960s–70s broke free from traditional canons, extending its boundaries.
Common traits included antinomies, sentimental emotions, and a tribune-like rhetorical tone—typical of Soviet-era poetry.
His poetic thinking was influenced by music and visual art, renewing early 20th-century trends such as futurism, Dadaism, and imagism through visual experimentation and linguistic play.

Non-fiction and Children’s Literature

In poetic-essay books like:

Saulė gintare

Duona ir žodis

Čia Lietuva

He reflected on Lithuanian culture, literature, and notable figures.

In children’s books:

Aš jau ne pipiras

Kuo būti

Zuikis puikis

Čyru vyru

Ką sakė obelėlė

Lineliai

Miško pasaka

He conveyed a clear and simple connection with nature.

Final Period and Legacy

In his later years, Mieželaitis revised and republished earlier collections, creating new editions and compositions.
Poetry collections from this period include:

Posiskriptumai

Gnomos

Laida

Consonetai Helenai

Mažoji lyra

Saulės vėjas (small poems)

Mitai (poem)

He also published a collected edition Mano lyra (awarded the Lithuanian SSR State Prize), a lyrical essay collection Mūza ir upėtakis, and an autobiographical essay Nereikalingas žmogus. Akcentai.

His poetry has been translated into over 20 languages.
Among the poets he translated: Mikhail Lermontov, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Samuil Marshak, Adam Mickiewicz, Alexander Pushkin, and others.

Adaptations and Tributes

Žmogus cycle inspired V. Salmanov’s ballet (1966)

Music by Eduardas Balsys and Julius Juzeliūnas was composed based on his work

Poetry performance Gintaro paukštė (1966) based on Duona ir žodis

Stage production Giliausiam šuliny įžvelki dangų (1980), inspired by several lyric collections

Documentary film Mano rankos (1978, dir. Linas Lazėnas)