Atsiminimai ir mintys

LTK. Griniaus „Atsiminimų ir minčių" pirmieji du tomai jau buvo paskelbti užsienyje: I tomas - 1947 m. Tiubingene, Vokietijoje, II tomas - 1962 m. Čikagoje, JAV. Pakartotinai jie išleisti Lietuvoje atkūrus nepriklausomybę - 2006 m. Marijampolėje. K. Griniaus artimieji XX a. septintajame dešimtmetyje norėjo išleisti likusius atsiminimų tomus JAV, tačiau to jiems padaryti nepavyko. Lietuvos prezidento K. Griniaus memorialinis muziejus Marijampolėje ir Vilniaus universiteto bei Generolo Jono Žemaičio Lietuvos karo akademijos mokslininkai apsiėmė parengti ir publikuoti rankraščiuose esančius Kazio Griniaus atsiminimus, o finansavimą siam projektui skyrė Lietuvos Respublikos kultūros ministerija ir Lietuvos prezidento K. Griniaus memorialinis muziejus. Atsiminimų III ir IV tomai yra parašyti 1945-1946 m. Vokietijoje, K. Griniui pasitraukus iš Lietuvos nuo pakartotinės sovietinės okupacijos. Jie apima 1906-1926 m. gyvenimo laikotarpį. Istorikams tie rankraščiai buvo žinomi, jais naudojosi pavieniai tyrinėtojai, tarp jų - išsamiausios K. Griniaus biografijos autorius Gediminas Ilgūnas. Jo rūpesčiu K. Griniaus ir jo šeimos narių rankraštinis palikimas buvo atgabentas iš JAV į Lietuvą ir 1997 m. perduotas Lietuvos centriniam valstybės archyvui. 2016 m. neskelbtų atsiminimų dalies rankraščių tekstas spausdinta forma pasiekia skaitytojus. Kazio Griniaus atsiminimų III ir IV tomo tekstus, sudėjus į vieną knygą, spaudai su komentarais parengė Vilniaus universiteto Istorijos fakulteto mokslininkai: docentė dr. Dalia Bukelevičiūtė, profesorius dr. Zenonas Butkus, docentas dr. Saulius Kaubrys ir Generolo Jono Žemaičio Lietuvos karo akademijos docentas dr. Arūnas Vyšniauskas. [Iš 3/4 t. Pratarmės]

ENKazys Grinius (1866-1950) was a famous activist of Lithuanian national movement, a doctor and a creator of healthcare system; a gregarious and cultural man; a publicist and a publisher; an educator and an education promoter; a politician; a member of the Constituent Assembly of Lithuania (Steigiamasis Seimas) as well as a member of First Seimas, Second Seimas and Third Seimas of Lithuania; ; the chairman of Constituent Assembly Committee involved in the preparation of Lithuanian Constitution; the Prime Minister of Lithuania (1920-1922); and the President of Lithuania (1926). He remained a patriot, a humanist and a fighter for the right to express oneself. After the coup d'ėtat in December 17, 1926, K. Grinius withdrew from active political life to writing memoirs. According to him, he had already written his memories until 1941 when he had to leave the manuscripts and other documents in Lithuania in the summer of 1944. At that time he buried his personal archives at the Lithuanian - Germany border which were later found totally rotten and decayed. Having left Lithuania for Germany, he escaped the Soviet occupation and wrote his memoirs once again, 4 volumes in total. The first volume of memoirs, containing the period of 1894-1900, was published in 1947 in Tübingen, Germany. After his death, in 1950, the publishing of his books was managed by his family members - his wife Kristina and son Liutas. The second volume, containing the period of 1901-1905, was published in Chicago, USA, in 1962. In 2006 both of them were additionally edited and further released in Marijampolė, Lithuania. The third and fourth volumes of K. Grinius's memoirs, left only in manuscripts, and other manuscripts and papers have been stored in Lithuanian Central State Archives since 1997.In May 14, 2015, the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania made a resolution and announced the year 2016 being the year of K. Grinius with reference to his upcoming 150th birth anniversary. The Government of the Republic of Lithuania planned to release a publication "Dr. Kazys Grinius. Reminiscence and thoughts. Ill and IV volumes" in the resolution "On the confirmation of the arrangements of Kazys Grinius's 150th birth anniversary celebration" in September 2, 2015. Having regard to the resolution, the book, containing the third and fourth volumes of the unpublished K. Grinius's memoirs of the period 1906-1926, including comments in Lithuanian, was later released. It was also preceded by the preface, written by its scientific editors, the associate professor of Vilnius University Dr. Dalia Bukelevičiūtė and the associate professor of the General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania Dr. Arūnas Vyšniauskas, entitled "On Kazys Grinius and his memoirs". The professor of Vilnius University Dr. Zenonas Butkus and the associate professor of Vilnius University Dr. Saulius Kaubrys co-operated in writing the comments on the third and fourth volumes of the memoirs. The preparation and release of the book was financed by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania. The third volume of K. Grinius's memoirs includes the period of 1906-1910. It involves his publicist activity (the publishing of "Lietuvos Ūkininkas" and "Lietuvos Žinios"), the engagement at political and social ("Šviesa" and other) circles, arrests and imprisonments, temporary life in Vilnius, the disagreements with the priests, the Lithuanian participation in the First and the Second Russian State Duma and other questions.The fourth volume of the memoirs includes K. Grinius's life in 1911-1926. It speaks about the life in Marijampolė, the organization of Lithuanian agricultural exhibition, the publishing issues, personally experienced questionings, the family withdrawal to Russia after World War I. The volume also reveals his life circumstances and the fight against diseases in the Russia and the Caucasus, the returning from Russia through Paris to the independent Lithuania in 1919. Back to Lithuania, K. Grinius started a very active life. At first, he took care of Marijampolė public health, later on he started to treat the people in Kaunas, as well. He began working on the creation of Lithuanian medical prophylaxis and prevention system as well as publishing and political activity. He was the leader of the Lithuanian Peasants' Popular Union and was elected into all parliaments (Seimas) of the Republic of Lithuania in 1920-1926. K. Grinius was the Prime Minister of Lithuania in 1920-1922 and he was the President of Lithuania in 1926 in the reign of Third Seimas of Lithuania. Only few historians have used his unpublished manuscripts to reveal his biography, however, it is expected to be an important material dealing with many Lithuanian history topics after its release in 2016. It is also thought to provide more information about the past of Russia, where K. Grinius lived until the spring of 1919. Not only the facts may valuable, but also the conclusions, insights, evaluations, life wisdom, which was left in the written footprints by K. Grinius in the sunset of his life. [From the publication, 3/4 vol.]