From Archives

The Concept of Community in Stasys Barzdukas’s Publicistic Writings

Abstract

Stasys Barzdukas (1906–1981) was not only a prominent émigré public figure but also a Lithuanian linguist and teacher. He wrote articles on literature, language, and issues of culture and society both in Lithuania and in the diaspora. While living in Lithuania, he taught at the Tauragė Teachers’ Seminary, as well as at the Prienai and Alytus gymnasiums. In exile between 1945 and 1949, he worked at the Lithuanian Gymnasium in Eichstätt, and later, while residing in the United States, at the Lithuanian Saturday School in Cleveland. He not only instructed his students in Lithuanian grammar but also sought to cultivate their civic responsibility and social engagement. Barzdukas published Lithuanian language textbooks, edited Pasaulio lietuvis (The Lithuanian of the World), a journal established by the board of the Lithuanian World Community (PLB), and contributed to a wide range of émigré periodicals. Nevertheless, unable to fully express himself in the profession of teaching while in emigration, Barzdukas immersed himself in the process of organizing Lithuanian communities.