Maironis

Maironis (born Jonas Mačiulis, Jan Maculewicz; – 28 June 1932) was a Lithuanian Roman Catholic priest and the greatest and most-known Lithuanian poet, especially of the period of the Lithuanian press ban. He was called the Bard of Lithuanian National Revival (Tautinio atgimimo dainius). Maironis was active in public life. However, the Lithuanian literary historian Juozas Brazaitis writes that Maironis was not. In his poetry, he expressed the national aspirations of the Lithuanian National Revival and was highly influential in Lithuanian society and poetry. The Maironian school in Lithuanian literature was named after him. Jonas Mačiulis was born in Pasandravys manor, Šiluva county, Raseiniai district, in Russian-occupied Lithuania on . Maironis' parents were free peasants who maintained close relations with the polonized Lithuanian nobility. Such a social environment formed the basis of Maironis' personality, leading to his deep religiosity and loyalty to tradition, free from atheistic or liberal influences. Socially, Maironis was uninvolved in the tensions between nobles and peasants, the rich and the poor, and did not become a representative of either side. Maironis was raised with a firm grounding in Lithuanian rural culture and was open to influence of any culture provided that it did not contradict Maironis' love for his land, his people, its past and traditions. During 1873-1883, Maironis was learning in the gymnasium of Kaunas. In sixth class, he began writing verses in Polish. In 1883, he entered the Kiev University to study Literature. He only studied there for a single semester. He left the university after the lectures did not satisfy his hopes and the students' stances towards religion were strange to him, so, Maironis returned to Kaunas in 1884 and entered Kaunas Priest Seminary. Maironis studied in the seminary until 1888. In the seminary, Lithuanian culture and the use of the Lithuanian language were encouraged by the priest, then Auxiliary bishop, Antanas Baranauskas.