Portretas: Juozas ir Jadvyga Tūbeliai

LTIlgametis Lietuvos Respublikos Ministras Pirmininkas, valstybės turtų ir žemės ūkio, švietimo ir finansų ministras, ekonomistas, finansininkas ir Lietuvių tautininkų sąjungos vadovas J. Tūbelis ir aktyvi visuomenininkė, žurnalistė, Užsienio reikalų ministerijos tarnautoja J. Tūbelienė neabejotinai priklausė nepriklausomos Lietuvos politiniam elitui. Amžininkus stebino, kaip šioje poroje susiderina du individualistai, pasižymintys ryškiais charakteriais bei labai skirtingais interesais. Ši istorija skaitytojus ves knygos herojų gyvenimo keliu nuo vaikystės iki paskutinio atodūsio neaplenkiant nė vieno posūkio ar iškilusios kliūties, kartu su jais išgyvenant jų šlovės akimirkas bei apmąstant skaudžius likimo smūgius. Pasakojimą papildo gausi vaizdinė medžiaga, nuotraukos bei dokumentai iš valstybinių archyvų, muziejų ir privačių asmenų rinkinių. Anot autorės, "pagrindinis šios knygos motyvas yra ne tik šeimos istorija, atskleidžiamos herojų asmeninės paslaptys ar išgyventos politinės intrigos. Šie nepriklausomos Lietuvos valstybės elito atstovai savo unikalia gyvenimo istorija suteiks puikių patriotizmo ir pasišventimo valstybės gerovės labui pamokų, kurių dažnai pasigendame šiandieniame politiniame gyvenime". [Leidėjo anotacija]Reikšminiai žodžiai: 20 amžius; Ministrai; Kaunas; Okupacija; Išeivija; Biografijos; The Lithuanian XX c. history; Minister; Premier Minister; Occupation; Exile; Biografies.

EN[...] In this monograph, the author presents a several-year-long scientific study reconstructing and analyzing the life stories and activities of two these well-known figures. This book examines the history of the family of Juozas and Jadvyga Tūbelis from many angles. The author hopes that her story, based on historical documents and true facts, will help remove from the Lithuanian consciousness the negative and distorted images of President Antanas Smetona’s political collaborator of many years, Juozas Tūbelis, as well as the unfounded accusations of nepotism. The author also will dispell Tūbelis s alleged inability to cope with the economical and political critical situations during 4th decade leading to questions of his professionalism, competence and proper performance of the duties assigned to him. Having held the position of head of government for almost half of the period of the independent Republic of Lithuania, J. Tūbelis unfortunately still does not enjoy the respect and popularity in the society which he deserves. The "brothers-in-law republic" of interwar Lithuania was characterized by the fact that the country was ruled by two brothers-in-law - President Antanas Smetona and Prime Minister Juozas Tūbelis, while the unofficial or behind-the-scenes leaders were their wives - sisters Sofija Smetonienė and Jadvyga Tūbelienė. Foreign diplomats were most surprised by this political quartet, and in their reports they often emphasized that the 2 top state officials were heavily influenced by their wives. The author searches for new answers and looks at the actions of Juozas and Jadvyga Tūbelis from the standpoint of the national interests of the State of Lithuania. A close collaboration with Peter Kuhlmann, Tūbelis’ only grandchild was an important impetus for taking on the task of "painting" their portrait.The author and, Mr. Kuhlmann continued cooperation after the publication of the authors first book in 2014 about sisters Sofija Smetonienė and Jadvyga Tūbelienė. Lots of interviews and discussions with Peter Kuhlmann were used as additional material to historical literature and archive documents. During his visit to Lithuania in 2018, the author and Mr. Kuhlmann had a few days to travel around the country, visiting places connected to the history of the Tūbelis family. Mr. Kuhlmann generously shared photographs, documents, and surviving letters as well as other material useful for historical research. The book consists of five parts arranged in chronological order. The first part, "The Vigorous Youth Years of Juozas and Jadvyga", tells the story of Juozas Tūbelis’ family, his childhood in the village of Ilgalaukiai, his father, his school year at the Mintauja Gymnasium and later his university years in Riga. Readers will learn about the circumstances by which Juozas Tūbelis’ strong nationalist and political views were formed in his youth, and how and when his firm friendship with Antanas Smetona was established. Having learned about the declaration of Lithuania’s independence on February 16, 1918, Juozas Tūbelis immediately returned from Russia to Lithuania and became involved in the work of the first Lithuanian government. [...] Although this book is intended for a broad circle of readers, the research was conducted applying scientific work methods and draws on different published and unpublished sources, and a wide variety of literature. The author bases her work on documents hardly researched before that are kept in the Lithuanian Central State archive, in the Kaunas District archive, periodicals of the era, historiography and the memoires of contemporary persons.Facts of Tūbelis’ family life were obtained from the memoires of former Lithuanian diplomat and family friend Petras Klimas, politicians Martynas Teas and Vincas Rastenis, and many others. The daily life of the Tūbelis family and memorable events were described by Marija Tūbelytė in her memoir "Childhood Memories" first published in 1988 in newspaper "Dirva", which is quoted extensively in the book. The abundant and valuable iconographic material used in the monograph requires a separate mention. The author expresses her sincere thanks to Renata Mikalajūnaitė, Director of the Historical Presidential Palace of the Republic of Lithuania in Kaunas, Dalius Žižys, Director of the Central State Archives of Lithuania, Gintaras Dručkus, Director of the Kaunas Regional State Archives, Gintarė Tautkevičienė, Head of the Library of Kaunas University of Technology, Andris Jonas Dunduras, Director of the Cleveland Lithuanian Cultural Documentation Center, and Gederts Eliass Jelgava History and Art Museum for the right to publish photos and documents. [...]. [Extract, p. 439-444]