Pulgis Andriusis, noted writer

18.III. 1907 – 19.XII.1970

Pulgis (Fulgencijus) Andriušis was born in Lithuania in the village of Gaidžiai, near Tauragnai in the district of Utena. 

He was a noted writer, literary critic and translator of books and plays.  Andriušis’ short stories are written in an eastern Lithuanian dialect. They abound with descriptions of nature and of peasant life, which is closely tied to nature.  He wrote with humour but without malice of everyday village life, a life he would have experience in his youth. 

In Kaunas he studied literature at the University of Kaunas and also art at the School of Art.  He learned many foreign languages during the course of his studies and his extensive travels in Western Europe and North Africa.

Andriušis began his writing career by contributing articles (as book reviews, drama critiques and essays) to various periodicals.  He continued this throughout his life writing for Australian Lithuanian newspapers and American publications.

He translated two French novels into Lithuanian: namely, R. Dorgeles’ Less Croix de obis and C. Ferere’s La bataille. One of his best translations is the Lithuanian edition of Servants’ Don Quixote, 1943.

From 1944-49 he lived in refugee camps in West Germany. In 1949 he immigrated to Australia with his wife and three children and settled in Adelaide.  His two-year Government contract was with the NSW Railways where he cleaned carriages.  Completing this, in Adelaide he worked in the telegram home office at the then GPO. His all male office attendants couldn’t pronounce his name Pulgis - so they called him Andy instead.

In 1968 he toured the U.S. and Canada, with other Lithuanian writers reciting his works.

 

Pulgis reciting some of his work

Cover of his Esperanto book

 

 

Pulgis published works.

1.       Ir vis dėlto juokimės! (Let us laugh, nevertheless). Feljetonai iš DP camp Gunzenhausen, 1946  Humorous short story

2.       Siuntinėlis iš Amerikos. (A package from America) Donauwörth, 1947 m. Humorous short story.

3.       Anoj pusėj ežero. Lyrinės apysakos. Gunzenhausen, 1947 m., Boston, 1953 m.,

4.       Esperanto kalbos vadovėlis su trumpu žodynėliu. Dilingen–Donau, 1947 m.

5.       Ispanų kalbos gramatika, d. 1, Nürttingen, 1947 m.

6.       Vabalų vestuvės (Insect wedding) Schweinfurt, 1948 m. 2 ed. 1995 m. A children’s story.

7.       Sudiev, kvietkeli“. (Good-by, little flower) Adelaide, 1951 m. A short story - Awarded a prize by the emigrant Lithuanian Writers Association.

8.       Tipelis“. Tipelis (The character).Boston. A humorous novel.

9.       Rojaus vartai (The gate of paradise). London, 1960. Awarded the prize of the emigrant Lithuanian Writers Association.

10.   Daina iš kito galo. (A song sung backwards) London, 1962 m. A feuilleton collection

11.   Blezdingėlės prie Torenso: Lietuvių įsikūrimas Pietų Australijoje 1947–1962 m. Edited with  V. Radzevičius

12.   Purienos po vandeniu (Marsh marigolds under water) London, 1963 m. Short Stories.

13.   Rinktiniai raštai t. 1. Autobiografiniai memuarai. Lyrinės apysakos, Boston, 1968 m.

14.   Rinktiniai Raštai (Outline of selected writings - includes the draft autobiography Septinton įleidus). 1962

15.   Anoj pusėj ežero (On the other side of the lake). Collection of short stories.  This is one of his outstanding lyrical works, awarded the Lithuanian Red Cross prize.

To commemorate 100 years since his birth in 1907, the Friends of the Lithuanian Club Library group in Sydney organised a literary afternoon on 18th November 2007. Mrs Elena Jonaitis introduced the writer and his works to the audience.   You can read more about this event here  http://www.slic.org.au/Culture/Pulgis.htm

You can read a story in English here, romance on a bus,  http://www.lituanus.org/1985/85_1_06.htm

In Lithuanian http://lietuviukalbairliteratura.lt/tag/pulgis-andriusis/

Andriusis card from a Esperanto conference

Baltic Convention, Adelaide 1968

To commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the proclamation of Independence of the Baltic counties in 1918, a Baltic week was held throughout Australia from 1^st to 8^th of June 1968.  Functions arranged for that week included Remembrance Services and concerts, exhibitions of Art and crafts, Baltic food display and tasking and social evening.

The Baltic convention was held on the 1^st June in Adelaide as part of Baltic Week.  Held at Latvian house the convention was attended by 98 delegates (35 Estonians, 35 Latvians and 28 Lithuanians) representing communities in Adelaide Melbourne and Sydney.

Mr A Krausas (Lithuanian member from Melbourne) summed up the aims,

To strengthen the resistance and ties of the Baltic nations in their fight for freedom, culture is the best weapon.

Being without our countries and armies, the only way we ca strive for freedom is through cultural media. 

All three of us working together will have a better chance to be heard and our voices of protest will be stronger.  All of us are suffering the same cruel fate and our countries are smothered by the communist regime.  We must try and save our cultural heritage, so that it does not fade, but make it flourish and grow stronger and more meaningful than ever.

To achieve this we must;

Try to send as many young people as possible to gain higher education.

Try to translate classics and other noteworthy works into each other’s language.

Try to have a chair for Baltic Studies in at least one Australian university.

Parents should teach their children to be proud of their nationality, let the children have a dual nationality, let them assimilate the best to each culture.

Items discussed were how the communities could work together to promote the history and traditions of their countries.  Discussions mentioned the formation of a Baltic Art Association even a of a Baltic arts and crafts museum. 

The convention notes were collated and printed in a booklet.