Vienuolika Juozo Jakšto laiškų prof. Zenonui Ivinskiui

Abstract

Juozas Jakštas (09 09 1900-31 07 1989) and Zenonas Ivinskis (25 05 1908-24 12 1971) were distinguished historians, professors, and academicians of the Lithuanian Catholic Academy of Science. In spite of difficult life conditions in emigration, they managed to do scientific and research work and make their achievements well-known, thus contributing tremendously to Lithuania's history and fame. Z. Ivinskis' archives in Lithuania possess a large number of letters of correspondence. He was in correspondence with people of science and culture, as well as with political and social activists. It is by no means accidental that Juozas Jakštas' letters to his colleague and close friend Zenonas Ivinskis have been chosen as an object of study of this paper - this year commemorates Juozas Jakštas' 90th birthday. Professor J. Jakštas' first published letters (only eleven have been found, but they witness warm personal relations and suggest that there should have existed a much larger number of letters written by him to Z. Ivinskis) give a picture of the hardships he experienced in an alien country and display his devoted work for the sake of science and Lithuania. The letters provide quite a lot of interesting and valuable information which fills in the blank pages of Z. Ivinskis' life or confirms the already known ones. The publication of these sources has one more purpose-to excite interest in the material stored in Z. Ivinskis' archives.