Commemorative plaque opened in Prienai in commemoration of the author of the first Lithuanian comedy – notary Juozas Vilkutaitis-Keturakis
Commemorative plaque opened in Prienai in commemoration of the author of the first Lithuanian comedy – notary Juozas Vilkutaitis-Keturakis
On Saturday, May 31, the commemorative plaque was opened in Prienai in commemoration of the famous lawyer of the interwar period, notary of Prienai town, writer and public man Juozas Vilkutaitis-Keturakis.
Celebrating 145th anniversary of the birth of Juozas Vilkutaitis-Keturakis this year, Lithuanian Chamber of Notaries decided to honour his memory. The commemorative plaque was made by sculptor Gediminas Piekuras.
“This year we celebrate 95th anniversary from the time when in 1919 fundamental legal principles of independent notariat were laid in Lithuania. Juozas Vilkutaitis is one of the most suitable personalities to characterize Lithuanian notary of the interwar period. As well as most notaries of that time Juozas Vilkutaitis was the socially active person, the patriot. He combined his lawyer’s vocation with writer’s talent”, said president of the Lithuanian Chamber of Notaries, Klaipeda City notary Marius Stračkaitis. Nowadays only few portraits of Juozas Vilkutaitis-Keturakis remained. The idea of this commemorative plaque is to combine old technology of depicting humans with modern technology”, said the author of the plaque G. Piekuras.
The plaque is made of a piece of granite and a stainless steel plate, where by means of laser the portrait of J. Vilkutaitis and ornaments in art deco style typical in the beginning of the 20th century were cut.
Juozas Vilkutaitis-Keturakis (1869-1948) – lawyer, playwright, public man. Juozas Vilkutaitis went down in history of law as a long-term worker: he obtained lawyer’s license; in 1905-1918 he worked in Marijampole District Court; in 1919 he was appointed a judge of Seinai; in 1920 he organized a court in Prienai town and worked as a notary in Prienai for 15 years from 1924 to 1939.
In history of Lithuanian culture Juozas Vilkutaitis-Keturakis is the author of the special work – comedy “America in Sauna”. The comedy “America in Sauna” published in 1895 under the pen-name of Keturakis, staged at secret Lithuanian evening meetings in the territory of Lithuania, belonging to the Russian Empire, and at evening meetings of Lithuanian dramatic societies, united Lithuanians, which stack together in Minor Lithuania, cities/towns of the Russian Empire, Europe, USA, educated civil and cultural Lithuanian society.
Only by good fortune the active public man and patriot, knight of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas J. Vilkutaitis-Keturakis avoided exile. After the Soviet government seized a house of J. Vilkutaitis in 1940 the notary moved to Kaunas. He managed to avoid great exiles in 1941, although the name of J. Vilkutaitis during these exiles was among the ones in the list of people subject to deportation from Prienai. In 1944 upon approaching of the front line J. Vilkutaitis left to the West. He lived in Vienna, and after the end of the war he was brought to a migrant camp in Augsburg, Germany. While living there, in 1947 he was elected the honorary member of Society of Exiled Lithuanian Writers. In 1948 J. Vilkutaitis died in Augsburg and was buried there. In 1975 his remains were reintered in Cleveland, USA.
145th anniversary of the birth of Juozas Vilkutaitis-Keturakis was celebrated on the 1st day of March of this year. However, it was decided to open the commemorative plaque during the Song and Dance Festival held in Prienai. The Lithuanian Chamber of Notaries celebrating 95th anniversary of independent Lithuanian Notariat announced 2014 the year of Juozas Vilkutaitis-Keturakis.