The Forest of Anykščiai
Encyclopedia
The Forest of Anykščiai written by Antanas Baranauskas
and published in 1861, is a landmark in the history of Lithuanian literature
.
The poem expresses the long-standing connection between the Lithuanian people and their forests. It was inspired by poetry of Adam Mickiewicz
and bears similarities to the romantic
poetry of Wordsworth and similar works of the early 19th century, but conveys additional meanings related to the perceived oppression of the country during its 19th-century inclusion in the Russian Empire
and its post-World War II
status as a Soviet Socialist Republic.
Antanas Baranauskas
Antanas Baranauskas was a Lithuanian poet, mathematician and a catholic bishop of Polish town Sejny. Baranauskas is best known as the author of the Lithuanian language poem Anykščių šilelis. He used various pseudonyms, including A.B., Bangputys, Jurksztas Smalaūsis, Jurkštas Smalaūsis, and Baronas...
and published in 1861, is a landmark in the history of Lithuanian literature
Lithuanian literature
Lithuanian literature concerns the art of written works compiled by Lithuanians throughout their history.-Latin language:A wealth of Lithuanian literature was written in Latin, the main scholarly language in the Middle Ages.-Lithuanian language:...
.
The poem expresses the long-standing connection between the Lithuanian people and their forests. It was inspired by poetry of Adam Mickiewicz
Adam Mickiewicz
Adam Bernard Mickiewicz ) was a Polish poet, publisher and political writer of the Romantic period. One of the primary representatives of the Polish Romanticism era, a national poet of Poland, he is seen as one of Poland's Three Bards and the greatest poet in all of Polish literature...
and bears similarities to the romantic
Romantic poetry
Romanticism, a philosophical, literary, artistic and cultural era which began in the mid/late-1700s as a reaction against the prevailing Enlightenment ideals of the day , also influenced poetry...
poetry of Wordsworth and similar works of the early 19th century, but conveys additional meanings related to the perceived oppression of the country during its 19th-century inclusion in the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
and its post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
status as a Soviet Socialist Republic.