„Laisvo žodžio dviašmenis kardas“ Henriko Nagio redaguotame savaitraštyje „Nepriklausoma Lietuva“ (1968–1970 m.)

Abstract

Henrikas Nagys in his early years was a reformer of the Lithuanian poetic lexicon; he maintained links with the tradition of Western modernism and was distinguished by sociability and by patriotic rhetoric. He contributed to the mass media of the exile community not only as a literary critic but also as a political reviewer. In the period from 1968 to 1970, when mass protests took place in North American universities, some members of the liberal wing of the Lithuanian exile community in the West chose a more radical world-view. During these years Nagys served as editor of the weekly Nepriklausoma Lietuva (Independent Lithuania) which was published in Montreal, Canada. For Nagys, this was a time of intellectual crisis: he encouraged members of the community to demonstrate their civic consciousness and force their way out of the enclosed national ghetto but at the same time he spoke out against naïve revolutionary slogans. In 1970 there was a severe conflict between Nagys and the avant-garde intellectual and poet Jonas Mekas who was considered an idealist fighting for justice in the entire world. For Nagys, the tragedy of exile was the most important object of contemplation, and he promoted the slogan “let’s be more selfish” as an alternative to the universal empathy of the leftist intellectuals. He thought about freedom and democracy as a “double-edged sword” which could harm those who used it without responsibility. The polemics and provocative discussions of that time showed that the media of the émigré community didn’t distance themselves from the everyday problems of the Western world, such as colonialism, racism, and ideological opposition.