Literary expert evaluated the decision regarding the S. Nėris monument: “The implementation of the De-Sovietization Law has reached absurdity” | Culture

Since 1974, the bust of the poet standing next to the current Vytis high school, formerly named after S. Nėries, should be removed as advocating the totalitarian regime and its ideology – this was the conclusion of Vitas Karčiauskas, the chairman of the de-Sovietization commission, a week ago.

He motivated the decision by the fact that the poet had little connection with Vilnius, and the monument dedicated to her was built five decades ago based on ideological rather than creative motives.

“After long discussions, we unanimously agreed that Salomėja Nėris and Vilnius have little connection and no explanatory board will represent what the monument means, so it should be removed,” V. Karčiauskas said to BNS at the time.

Irmantos Gelūnos/BNS photo/Vitas Karčiauskas

According to him, after assessing the artistic value of this bust, it is recommended to move the monument to a museum.

Meanwhile, the Vilnius municipality promises to give a decision on the S.Nėries monument within three monthsafter receiving the official conclusions of the Genocide and Resistance Research Center of the Lithuanian population, to which the De-Sovietization Commission is subordinate.

The monument poses a huge threat?

M. Kvietkauskas, the dean of the Philology Faculty of Vilnius University and the former Minister of Culture, completely disagrees with such conclusions.

According to him, the sculpture of the poetess, created by the famous sculptor Vladas Vildžiūnas and architects Gedimins Baravykas and Gytis Ramunis, has nothing to do with ideology, but conveys the dramatic and ambiguous personality of S.Nėries.

Monument of Greta Skaraitiene/BNS photo/Salomeja Nėrias near the gymnasium named after her

“There is no ideological heroization in the sculpture, it does not dominate the space between St. Catherine’s Church and the current Vytis Gymnasium building, so it is simply impossible to perceive it as a propaganda sign. It is, first of all, a delicate and valuable work of art”, said M. Kvietkauskas.

According to him, with such conclusions, the de-Sovietization commission seems to emphasize that this monument of S. Nėries poses a huge threat to Lithuanian society and its awareness.

“Doesn’t it seem to this Commission that today someone, looking at this pensive face of the poetess, will acutely feel admiration and attraction for the Soviet Union and become infected with the Soviet ideology?” – the literary expert asked rhetorically.

M. Kvietkauskas emphasized that in such a case, the members of the de-Sovietization commission still consider society as naive children, who still need to be taught with a strong hand and forbid what they themselves seem to be unable to evaluate critically.

Marius Vizbara / 15min photo/Mindaugas Kvietkauskas

“This Commission seeks to dictate and specify, while, paradoxically, it is afraid to make public the records of its meetings”, wondered M. Kvietkauskas.

The literary expert also regretted the fact that in this case, the arguments of the scientists of the Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore, as well as the Institute of History and part of the public were not taken into account to leave this historical mark dedicated to the ambiguously evaluated poetess.

According to M. Kvietkauskas, such a situation after 34 years of Independence is simply disappointing.

“Implementation of the Law on De-Sovietization in this way illustrates the fact that the political authorities do not trust the Lithuanian education system and numerous studies, texts and debates that have been held so far, in which the biography of S. Nėries and the mistake she made have been revealed and explained. It seems that until now there is a fear that someone in the society may still have a naive admiration for this poet’s tendency to support the occupation of the Soviet Union in the 1940s”, said M. Kvietkauskas.

Monument of Greta Skaraitiene/BNS photo/Salomeja Nėrias near the gymnasium named after her

Primitive memory politics

The literary expert noted that if the decision to remove ambiguous memorials from public spaces was made immediately after the restoration of Independence, they could be understood and justified.

But now, in his opinion, Lithuanian society is mature enough that it can no longer be afraid of its past, not be complex about it and feel free from the Soviet ideology.

Meanwhile, according to M. Kvietkauskas, the policy of memory, which is carried out after the adoption of the Law on De-Sovietization, is very primitive, and its aim to ban, destroy and erase memory marks without looking for any other possible solutions is deplorable.

“Even the explanatory plaque next to the monument of S. Nėris in Vilnius appeared to the de-Sovietization commission to be too small a sign – it is better to remove this commemorative sign altogether,” M. Kvietkauskas ironically said.

According to him, this only proves that the implementation of the Law on De-Sovietization has reached absurdity, therefore, after the Seimas elections, it will be necessary to adjust both the law itself and the composition of the De-Sovietization Commission, which should include more specialists representing different opinions, who are not afraid of public and open discussions.