Date and Time: September 3rd, 7:00 PM
The Science and Encyclopaedia Publishing Centre of the Lithuanian National Martynas Mažvydas Library has published Edvardas Čapskis’ book “Memoirs of a Siberian.”
Born from the old Pomeranian noble family of Hutten-Czapski, the authentic memoirs of Count Edvardas Čapskis (1819–1888) reflect the fate of the aristocracy of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, their resistance to the Russian Empire, their support for the 1863–1864 uprising, and the subsequent repressions. These memoirs offer valuable reflections on the society, politics, daily life of exiles, and the faith that sustained the author during the most challenging moments of his life.
Edvardas Čapskis’ biography exemplifies the life and work of an educated 19th-century nobleman. He was educated at the Piarist school in Warsaw, later in Berlin, and graduated in law from Kharkiv University. He worked as a civil servant in the State Secretariat of the Kingdom of Poland in Saint Petersburg. Around 1847, he returned to his family estate, lived at his parents’ manor in Kalnaberžė, and after marrying, purchased and settled in Vyžuonos Manor. During the uprising, he was accused and sentenced to death after the peasants in Vyžuonos hanged the Tsar’s administrator, Lebedev. Only the intervention of Queen Victoria of England saved Čapskis from execution, with his sentence commuted to Siberian exile. After returning from Siberia, Count Čapskis settled in his mother’s estate in Svajatyčiai. He passed away in 1888 and is buried in the old Rasos Cemetery in Vilnius.
“The memoirs of an aristocrat, landowner, participant in the 1863–1864 uprising, and survivor of Siberian exile, Count Edvardas Hutten-Czapski (1819–1888), transport us to one of the most complex periods in 19th-century Lithuanian history, when the attempt to regain statehood, freedom, and independence ended in bitter defeat, repression, and shattered lives,” writes Professor Tamara Bairašauskaitė, Ph.D., in the introductory article of the book.
“Memoirs of a Siberian” was translated from Polish by Kazys Uscila, edited by Irena Stankevičienė, with the introductory article and scientific consultation by Professor Tamara Bairašauskaitė, Ph.D. The book’s design was created by Saulius Bajorinas. The translation and publication were supported by the Polish Institute, the Ministry of Culture, the Lithuanian Royal Union of Nobility, and the Mariana Veriovkina Society.
The event will be moderated by the book’s editor, Irena Stankevičienė, and will feature the scientific consultant, Professor Tamara Bairašauskaitė, Ph.D., the head of the Mariana Veriovkina Society, Sandra Dastikienė, and the book’s translator, Kazys Uscila. Pianist Rokas Zubovas and cellist Glebas Pyšniakas will perform a musical program during the event.
Organizers: The Science and Encyclopaedia Publishing Centre of the Lithuanian National Martynas Mažvydas Library and Vilnius Town Hall.
