Sofija Kymantaitė-Čiurlionienė

Sofija Kymantaitė-Čiurlionienė (; ; 13 March 1886 – 1 December 1958) was a Lithuanian writer, educator, and activist.

After studying at girls' gymnasiums in Saint Petersburg and Riga, she studied philosophy, literature, and art history at the and Jagiellonian University. She returned to Lithuania in 1907 and joined the cultural life of Vilnius. In January 1909, she married painter and composer Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, but he died in April 1911, leaving her with an infant daughter. Until the start of World War I, she taught Lithuanian language and literature at teachers' courses established by the Saulė Society in Kaunas. She lectured at the Vytautas Magnus University from 1925 until her retirement in 1938. Čiurlionienė was also active in public life – she was a delegate to the Assembly of the League of Nations in 1929–1931 and 1935–1938, leader of the Lithuanian girl scouts in 1930–1936, and an active participant in various women's organizations, including the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and the Lithuanian Women's Council. During World War II, she helped save Jews from the Kovno Ghetto and was recognized as Righteous Among the Nations in 1991.

In her essays on art and literature, influenced by ideas of fin de siècle and Young Poland movements, she criticized realism and supported symbolism. However, some of her own literary works are good examples of realism. Her most popular works are theater plays, in particular comedies Pinigėliai (Money; 1919) and Vilos puošmena (Decoration of a Villa; 1932). She also wrote dramas, plays for school theaters, and poems. Most of her novels explore the Lithuanian press ban and the Lithuanian National Revival.

Biography

Early life and education Kymantaitė was born to a family of a landless Lithuanian noble on 13 March 1886 in the clergy house in Joniškis. The family lived with her maternal uncle Catholic priest who taught her privately and sponsored her education.