Juozas Baltušis

Albertas Juozėnas, mostly known by his pseudonym Juozas Baltušis (27 April [ O.S. 14 April] 1909 – 4 February 1991) was a Soviet Lithuanian writer, radio and press operative and public figure. A popular author in Lithuania, albeit with a strong Soviet identity, among his best known works are the 1947 play Gieda gaideliai (The Cocks Are Crowing), the novel Parduotos vasaros (Sold-out Summers), first published in two volumes in 1957 and 1969 and Sakmė apie Juzą (The Tale of Juzas), a 1979 universal piece of literature which won the Lithuanian SSR State Prize and the Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger (French literary prize). From 1946 to 1954 he was the secretary of the party organization of the Lithuanian Writers' Union and from 1946 to 1954 and then 1958 until 1962 he worked as the editor-in-chief of the literary magazine Pergalė (Victory). He was the deputy of the Supreme Council of the Lithuanian SSR for several decades.

Early life and work He was born into a peasant family in 1909, the son of Karolis Juozėnas (1871–1934) from Bitėnai and Marijona Baltušytė-Juozėnienė (1883–1964) from Puponiai in Kupiškis District. His sister, Marijona Juozėnaitė (1906–1997), became a nun and his brother, Leonardas Juozėnas (born 1914) was a military pilot and author. On 19 April 1909 Juozas was baptized in the Riga Catholic Church of St. Albert. During World I, the family moved east and lived in the Russian cities of Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, and Tsaritsky (Volgograd). In 1918, the family settled in Puponiai, Kupiškis District.

Baltušis grew up in Puponiai until leaving the family home in 1929 and moving to live in Kaunas, where he found work in various printing houses as a messenger and letter collector. Baltušis began to have works published in 1932, seeking inspiration from the writer Kazys Boruta. His first work was entitled Darbas (Work), a collection of short stories. He began to write humorous plays during the 1930s, Baltušis was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet for several decades. From 1980 until 1986 he served as the chairman of the Lithuanian Peace Defense Committee (Lithuanian section of the Soviet Peace Committee). He is buried in the Antakalnis Cemetery, Vilnius. His plays have become staples in the Lithuanian theatrical circuit.

Notable works 1940 – Savaitė prasideda gerai (short story collection) 1943 – Baltieji dobiliukai (short story collection) 1947 – Gieda gaideliai (drama) 1952 – Rinktinė (drama) 1956 – Anksti rytelį (play) 1957 – Parduotos vasaros, Part 1 (novel) 1959 – Kas dainon nesudėta (travelogue) 1963 – Aš jau ne piemenė (short story) 1965 – Valiusei reikia Alekso (short story collection) 1967 – Tėvų ir brolių takais (travelogue) 1969 – Parduotos vasaros, Part II (novel) 1971 – Nežvyruotu vieškeliu (short story collection) 1973 – Su kuo valgyta druska, Part I 1975 – Žodis apie žmogų 1976 – Su kuo valgyta druska, Part II 1979 – Sakmė apie Juzą (novel) 1985 – Pasakymai ir atsakymai