Šatrijos Ragana ("Witch of Šatrija") was the

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

of Marija Pečkauskaitė (; March 8, 1877 – July 24, 1930), a

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

n humanist and romantic writer and educator. Her most successful works are (''In the Old Estate'', 1922) and ''Irkos tragedija'' (''Tragedy of Irka'').

Biography

Born in Medingėnai,

Kovno Governorate Kovno Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, with its capital in Kovno (Kaunas). It was formed on 18 December 1842 by Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, Nicholas I from the western part of Vilna Govern ...

to a family of petty

Lithuanian nobles The Lithuanian nobility () or ''szlachta'' of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (, ) was historically a legally privileged hereditary elite class in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth (including during period of foreign r ...

, Pečkauskaitė was raised in Polish culture. However, she made friends with local Lithuanian peasants and, influenced by her tutor

Povilas Višinskis Povilas Višinskis (; 28 June 1875 – 23 April 1906) was a Lithuanian cultural and political activist during the Lithuanian National Revival. He is best remembered as a mentor of literary talent. He discovered Julija Žymantienė (Žemaitė) and ...

, joined the

Lithuanian National Revival The Lithuanian National Revival, alternatively the Lithuanian National Awakening or Lithuanian nationalism (), was a period of the history of Lithuania in the 19th century, when a major part of Lithuanian-inhabited areas belonged to the Russian ...

. Because of poor health and expensive tuition, Pečkauskaitė did not graduate from a gymnasium in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

and had to complete her education privately in the Labūnava estate near

Užventis Užventis (, Samogitian: ''Ožvėntis'') is a city in the Kelmė district municipality, Lithuania. It is located north-west of Kelmė. River Venta flows through the city. Etymology Užventis is a place name derived from the river named Venta ...

. Višinskis translated her first works, written in Polish, into Lithuanian and published in liberal Lithuanian periodicals, such as ''

Varpas ''Varpas'' (literally: ''The Bell'') was a monthly Lithuanian-language newspaper published during the Lithuanian press ban from January 1889 to December 1905. Because its publication was illegal in Lithuania, then part of the Russian Empire, it w ...

'' and ''

Ūkininkas ''Ūkininkas'' or ''Ukinįkas'' (literally: ''The Farmer'') was a monthly Lithuanian-language newspaper published during the Lithuanian press ban by the editorial staff of ''Varpas'' from 1890 to 1905. ''Ūkininkas'' was printed in Tilsit (current ...

''. However, Pečkauskaitė disagreed with their secular agenda and turned to pro-Catholic ''

Tėvynės sargas ''Tėvynės sargas'' (Guardian of the Fatherland) was a Lithuanian-language periodical first established in 1896 in Tilsit, East Prussia during the Lithuanian press ban and the Lithuanian National Revival. It was published by the clergy and later b ...

'' and similar newspapers. After her father's death in 1898, the family moved to

Šiauliai Šiauliai ( ; ) is a city in northern Lithuania, the List of cities in Lithuania, country's fourth largest city and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, sixth largest city in the Baltic States, with a population of 112 581 in 202 ...

as the old estate had to be sold for debts. In 1905 she received a scholarship from the Žiburėlis Society, established by

Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė Gabrielė Petkevičaitė (18 March 1861 – 14 June 1943) was a Lithuanian educator, writer, and activist. Her pen name Bitė (''Bee'') eventually became part of her last name. Encouraged by Povilas Višinskis, she joined public life and started ...

, to study pedagogy at the

University of Zurich The University of Zurich (UZH, ) is a public university, public research university in Zurich, Switzerland. It is the largest university in Switzerland, with its 28,000 enrolled students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of the ...

and the

University of Fribourg The University of Fribourg (; ) is a public university located in Fribourg, Switzerland. The roots of the university can be traced back to 1580, when the notable Jesuit Peter Canisius founded the Collège Saint-Michel in the City of Fribourg ...

. While studying, she met with Friedrich Wilhelm Foerster and was greatly affected by his views on education; she later translated several of his works into Lithuanian. After returning to Lithuania in 1907, Pečkauskaitė briefly stayed in Šaukotas and Vilnius. She participated in the First Congress of Lithuanian Women and was elected its vice-chair. In 1909, she was hired by the

Žiburys Society Žiburys Society (''žiburys'' means light, beacon; ) was a society established in 1906 that organized and maintained Lithuanian schools in the Suwałki Governorate of the Congress Poland, Russian Empire (later, Suvalkija region of independent Li ...

as a teacher at a girls' pre-gymnasium in

Marijampolė Marijampolė (; also known by Marijampolė#Names, several other names) is the Capital city, capital of Marijampolė County in the south of Lithuania, bordering Poland and Russian Kaliningrad Oblast, and Lake Vištytis. The city's population stood ...

. In 1915 she moved to

Židikai Židikai (Samogitian language, Samogitian: ''Žėdėkā'') is a town in Mažeikiai district municipality, Lithuania. It is located 21 km west of Mažeikiai. Židikai is the seat of Elderships of Lithuania, Židikai elderate. Židikai is know ...

, where she spent her remaining life working as a teacher. She was actively involved in the town's cultural life, promoting

teetotalism Teetotalism is the practice of voluntarily abstaining from the consumption of alcohol, specifically in alcoholic drinks. A person who practices (and possibly advocates) teetotalism is called a teetotaler (US) or teetotaller (UK), or said to b ...

, organizing a youth chorus, and other charity work. For her achievements in pedagogy, Pečkauskaitė was awarded an honorary degree of the

University of Lithuania Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) (, VDU) is a public university in Kaunas, Lithuania. The university was founded in 1922 during the Polish–Lithuanian War, interwar period as an alternate national university. Initially it was known as the Univ ...

in 1928. She died in Židikai.

Works

Pečkauskaitė debuted in 1896 with short story ''Margi paveikslėliai'' (''Motley Pictures''). Her works reflect social changes in her times: from estates to villages, from former nobles to peasants, from Polish to Lithuanian culture. All of her characters are strong romantic individuals, living according to the Christian ideals. They usually altruistically sacrifice themselves for the benefit of the society. For example, one character, Viktutė, sacrifices her career in the arts to work as a teacher in a small town; or a village lad from ''Vincas Stonis'' (1906) who successfully takes over his father's farm and even persuades him to return from America. Pečkauskaitė was one of the first Lithuanian writers to create deep and complex characters, analyzing not only their psychology but also spirituality. Her most critically acclaimed novel, , is somewhat autobiographical and depicts a family of a

Samogitia Samogitia, often known by its Lithuanian language, Lithuanian name ''Žemaitija'' (Samogitian language, Samogitian: ''Žemaitėjė''; see Samogitia#Etymology and alternative names, below for alternative and historical names) is one of the five ...

n landlord. The estate and manor owners, unlike in writings of

Žemaitė Žemaitė (, , "Samogitian woman") was the pen name of Julija Beniuševičiūtė-Žymantienė ( – 7 December 1921). She was a Lithuanian/Samogitian writer, democrat and educator. Born to impoverished gentry, she became one of the major partici ...

or Lazdynų Pelėda, are not the sources of social injustice, but one of the last remaining outposts of old culture, ideas, and values. Through the depiction of Mamatė (a diminutive derivation from "mother") the author expresses the realization that physical life is temporary and longs for permanent metaphysical existence (death). As with other works, parts inspired by her early childhood are especially bright and warm, colored by loving memories of dreams and aspirations, and lean towards

impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

. In contrast, the short story ''Irkos tragedija'', depicts the painful crash of a young girl's innocent world with harsh reality and family failure.

References

External links

Bibliography of Šatrijos Ragana
{{DEFAULTSORT:Satrijos Ragana 1877 births 1930 deaths People from Rietavas Municipality People from Telshevsky Uyezd Lithuanian educators 20th-century Lithuanian educators 20th-century Lithuanian women writers Pseudonymous women writers Humanists 20th-century pseudonymous writers Lithuanian writers in Polish University of Zurich alumni University of Fribourg alumni