V. Toleikis’ book of memoirs – thanks to the people we met and did not forget | Culture

Coming soon, Thursday, September 19, at 6 p.m. the author will present the book to the public at the Vilnius Jewish Public Library (Gedimino Ave. 24).

This is a multi-layered book of memoirs about prominent personalities who left a clear mark on V. Toleikis’ personal life, as well as on the cultural and social life of Lithuania and other countries. These acquaintances are described by the author based on subjective experiences.

Personal archive photo/Vytautas Toleikis with a book

It is like a jazz improvisation by the author of the book on the theme of his beloved professor Irena Veisaitė’s wish. After V. Toleikis graduated from the then Vilnius State Pedagogical Institute (now VDU Education Academy), the teacher recorded this wish in Algimantas Kunčiaus’ photo album “Meetings” – she wished her former student many meaningful meetings in his life.

In the “Teachers of Life” section, V. Toleikis writes about meetings with theater expert I. Veisaita, film screenwriter, essayist Pranas Morkumis, artist Vincas Kisarauskas and ambassador Ričardas Bačkis.

The major part of the book is devoted to memories of associates, friends, inspirations – Lithuanian women Vanda Zaborskaitė, Aldona Vaitiekūniė, Laima Abraitytė, actors Rūtas Staliliūnaitė, Laimonas Noreikas, director Eimuntas Nekrošias, dissidents Petra Cidzikas, Nijolė Sadūnaitė, cardinal Sigitas Tamkevičius, archbishop Julijons Steponavičius, priests Vaclav Aliulis, Stanislaus Dobrovolskis, Kazimieras Vasiliauskas, philosopher Leonidas Donskis, writers Vaidotas Daunis, Icchokas Meras, Romualdas Granauskas and many other Lithuanian and foreign personalities met in various circumstances.

“This memoir is primarily a book of thanks to the people I met. As I joke now, they made a man out of me!”, writes V. Toleikis.

The book is written in lively, rich, witty language, with inclusions of the author’s mother’s Šiluti dialect. The book uses photos from the author’s personal archive, and a detailed index of personal names is provided.

Photo of the publishing house/”Fatal… meetings”

Vytautas Toleikis (born in 1960) is a teacher, culturist, essayist, social activist, author of the memoir “Pasakojimai prabudus” (2017), popular with readers. He has initiated and carried out many cultural and educational projects aimed at fostering the memory of Roma, Jewish and other national minority cultures, has also published books on these issues, and regularly publishes articles and essays on various cultural topics. Teacher V. Toleikis is also known as the initiator of the Walking Seasons of the capital’s schoolchildren.

We invite you to read the introductory part of the book:

Pa-si-explanation – in place of the introduction

First of all, I should probably explain and explain why such a banal word appeared in the title of the book. Do we all have to tell each other what we have met in our life? Why should anyone else care? Maybe because they had seen the same people many times, heard about them, read about them, met them, and it would probably be interesting to take a look at how I saw them at that time I saw and appreciated. Because some are well known to everyone, almost stars, others are known to separate groups of people: more active Lithuanian Catholics and Evangelical Lutherans, members of the Lithuanian Jewish community, artists, writers. I tried to write as if from those times perspectives, setting aside popular public judgments and even created stereotypes about the individuals mentioned here.

When I graduated from the Vilnius Pedagogical Institute in the summer of 1986, Irena Veisaitė for some reason gave me Algimantas Kunčius’ photo album “Meetings” on that occasion. Not one probably remembers it, there are many photos of famous painters, writers, actors, sculptors, directors. The dedication was written on the first page of the book:

Dear Vytas,

I congratulate you on the occasion of your graduation from the institute and I am glad to have met you… I would like to wish that in addition to the past, which is immortalized in this book, there would be many more meaningful meetings in your life. These are moments of happiness scattered in our everyday life.

I believe in your future so that we will not get lost in the flow of time.

With best wishes, Yours Irena Veisaitė-K.

Vilnius, 1986 VI.28

This is how it turned out that with this post, as my mother would say, Irena must cast a spell on you. Because those meetings kept increasing and even up to now, and the further they go, the more meaningful they are. This is not an accounting report for those who still read printed texts, what I met, what I know. I hope, and not a collection of snobbish boasts. Here, the stories are primarily about those meetings that really touched me, penetrated my heart, were important, outlined the directions of my life or made me reevaluate my values ​​or attitudes. Some of the people I met are very well-known to the public, others were once known, but ungratefully forgotten, and others are only important to a narrower circle.

For many years, I had the thought that I must tell about them, as if to indirectly thank them, and at the same time celebrate with everyone what great people there are in Lithuania, and not only in it. But doubts kept creeping in: after all, especially about the prominent, well-known, most famous people in Lithuania, so much has already been written, boasted, and told, and some Toleikis still comes up with his narratives.

There is another catch – when we talk about others, especially people who are much bigger than ourselves, we are doubly tempted by grandeur: in such cases we talk more about ourselves, besides, when we talk about famous people, we unconsciously give the reader the idea that we ourselves are almost worthy of those famous people. After all, it is not without reason that politicians get to take pictures with sports champions or stars of the entertainment business. I’m not even going to fight the first temptation.

When I tell about a person known to the public, I will also tell about myself, sometimes even more, but most importantly, I will show my relationship and how that relationship nurtured my soul. And the second temptation is not very valid, because not all of the people I am talking about are or were my close friends or buddies, and I communicated with some of them very fragmentarily. I have no pretensions to point the finger at someone’s friends or to announce myself – to reveal a “secret”: “it turns out that he knew him very well.” More important – how that acquaintance affected me. But I also ask you – how do meetings affect you? I invite you to write about it now.

In the book, we can find stories about famous personalities from a very unexpected angle. Or a very short testimony, how sometimes one conversation, several meetings or a read text has an impact on the whole life. These are stories about how our soul is shaped and developed by friendship, meetings, heard opinions or even a look.

But, most importantly, this book of memories is first and foremost a book of thanks to the people I met. As I joke now, they made a man out of me!