Antanas Bataitis

Antanas Bataitis (13 June 1854 – 12 March 1932) was a Lithuanian book smuggler during the time of the Lithuanian press ban in the area around Smilgiai. He also worked as a bookbinder.

Biography Early life Antanas Bataitis was born in the village of Valiliškiai in the Panevėžys district of Lithuania, as the first son of Motiejus Bataitis and Agnietė Bataitienė (née Jankevičiūtė). Growing up in the parish refuge of his poor family, he was taught to read Lithuanian by his mother.

Book smuggling years Up until the age of 28, Bataitis worked at the parish church hospital. Priest Mykolas Opulskis taught him to write in Lithuanian and, around 1882, encouraged Bataitis to collect Cyrillic-print books from the people, burn them, and give them ones printed in Lithuanian. Shortly, Bataitis started book smuggling from Prussia. On his first trip, he lost his cart and horse and nearly got caught by the authorities. Bataitis first worked in the Smilgiai parish before expanding to the nearby parishes. Bataitis hid the books in gardens nests, as well as wooden poles, with trusted people and the forest. He also had established a hiding spot under the roof of the belfry of the Smilgiai church.