Sabaliauskaitė: If I had lived according to others’ expectations, I wouldn’t have achieved anything

It’s good that life still brings pleasant surprises. Like in this case – writer, art historian, and journalist Kristina Sabaliauskaitė. Revered by readers and a provocateur of various discussions. A person who is likely known in every corner of Lithuania. Someone who seems to carry an invisible crown with pride, yet, as noted in a publication prepared by the Panevėžys County Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė Library, she does not.

At the Panevėžys County Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė Public Library, we met a warm, cozy, reserved, confident, and open woman who does not hide behind words, is not afraid to express even unpopular opinions, and is fully dedicated to her audience – she immediately said she wanted a meeting where the content would be dictated by those who gathered.

“Since I am not presenting a new book, it is simply a great opportunity to talk and interact on any topic. I am here for you and with you,” said K. Sabaliauskaitė.

No “Silva Rerum”

Naturally, the conversation first turned to her literary work – the popular “Silva Rerum.”

“I wanted to write a book about a family of middle-class nobles – this layer was always left out of the writers’ scope. They were more interested in rulers, kings, and so on. But here – an intermediate layer through which many micro-histories can be created. I chose a historical family, and I concluded its story with Pranciškus Norvaiša – a professor at Vilnius University (there is even a plaque commemorating him at the university). I found it meaningful to talk about different stages of the Lithuanian state and culture – from the era of the Flood to the collapse of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. On the other hand, it also reflects different aspects of Baroque,” the writer smiles.

She says that the Baroque as a cultural epoch is her favorite.

“I was born and spent my childhood wandering through Baroque Vilnius (where, according to Česlovas Milošas, even the clouds are Baroque). I remember walking and everything Soviet was unpleasant – all those gray concrete blocks, while the Baroque churches and eclecticism were beautiful. An aesthetic that was intuitively beautiful even to a child. Later, it became the topic of my dissertation, an object of deepening interest, and I became more fascinated,” she recalls.

By the way, K. Sabaliauskaitė herself also comes from a noble family, but she says she did not have a “Silva Rerum” (family book).

A meeting with Kristina Sabaliauskaitė was held at the Panevėžys County Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė Library / Photo by P. Židonis

“Historically, Lithuania is not a grateful land for them to survive. And in our family, there is a living oral tradition – stories,” she states.

Art Must Be Visible

K. Sabaliauskaitė’s hobby is art.

“Reaching mature age, I gained the privilege of being able to visit any city in the world to see even a desired exhibition. I enjoy art tourism – museums, exhibitions, etc. They provide a creative impulse – something no album can offer. After all, the original can never compare to the image. True, in childhood I used to leaf through art albums – in Soviet-occupied Lithuania, they were a window into a different world,” she says.

Another hobby of K. Sabaliauskaitė is collecting art from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

“What is trash to one person may be treasure to another – Lithuanian studies are often undervalued abroad; it is a distant and unknown heritage to them. For example, I have acquired engravings of old nobility. I do not keep my collection closed – for instance, if needed, I lend it for exhibitions at the National Art Museum. I am convinced: art should be shared, it must be visible,” she states.

Miracles Do Happen

For K. Sabaliauskaitė, writing a book is a complex process. It requires preparatory work – reading scientific monographs and other historical sources.

“In the preparation stage, there is no romance – only meticulous work, the same as writing a dissertation. However, later on, there are magical things – everything comes alive, fitting into a picture. There are unexpected occurrences – for example, intuition about a character that is suddenly confirmed by historical documents,” she explains.

Of course, different countries may interpret facts differently. People may remember and depict events differently. However, with “The Empress of Peter,” the author says she did the opposite – gathered various positions from many sources and tried to understand how things really were.

When writing this novel, K. Sabaliauskaitė says she did not work in any Russian archives.

“But I didn’t need to. With the beginning of Putin’s rule, it became difficult for outsiders to access them, and now it is almost impossible. Even if you got in, you were followed by a ‘minder,’ who meticulously recorded your interests. Many documents are inaccessible to researchers – for example, some of Peter I and Catherine I’s letters with obscenities. Nonetheless, there was an abundance of information available – historical sources related to Peter I started being published in the 19th century, for instance, his letters and documents are available at the M. Mažvydas Library. Not to mention the memoirs of ambassadors and other contemporaries, scientific articles, and Hermitage periodicals – again, at the M. Mažvydas Library,” she notes.

Deep-Rooted Pathological Evil

Is it possible that Russian and Western civilizations might culturally come closer?

“Orlando Figes’ ‘Natasha’s Dance: A Cultural History of Russia’ shows that there was rapprochement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Until the war in Ukraine, I also had hopes. I thought there was less brutality and cruelty in the Russian nation. Unfortunately, these pathologies are deeply rooted, affecting even cultural people. For example, M. Lermontov wrote about a girl raped by soldiers until death in his poem ‘Ulan’sha.’ A. Solzhenitsyn wrote a poem on the same theme: ‘Prussian Nights’ – about the cruelty of Russian soldiers in Germany in 1945. The worst part is that both seem to enjoy it, clearly not being on the victim’s side. It saddens me that Russians want to take the surface from the West – various benefits, but not the essence, values, and behavioral norms,” says K. Sabaliauskaitė.

Where does Russian pathological cruelty come from? The guest explained, quoting cultural history studies.

“The brutal Eastern Mongol-Tatar yoke, especially oppressive to the nobility. The latter transferred the humiliations they experienced onto the peasants. Authority was maintained by force, not leadership. Moreover, Russia avoided Renaissance heritage – Western chivalric tradition with a code of honor. And absolute tsarist power was again risky for the nobility – their privileges and property could be taken away at any moment by the ruler’s whim. So the nobility tried to squeeze everything out of ‘here and now’ because there might be no future. Hence, particularly brutal serfdom became entrenched in Russia,” she says.

Still, in her opinion, in the current situation, we should not be concerned with Russia or its “rapprochement with the West” – we should focus on preserving our world with our civilized values, order, and democracy.

Golden Age

K. Sabaliauskaitė is convinced: we are now in Lithuania’s cultural “golden age.”

“We still idealize the interwar culture, but after all, Kipras Petrauskas did not sing at the Metropolitan, artists did not show their works at the Venice Biennale, the Musée d’Orsay, or the Pompidou Center. Yes, the pioneers gave us a lot, we culturally grew up on them, and we are grateful to them. But now we have advanced much further,” she says.

Of course, this was influenced by those who experienced a Soviet childhood.

“People from my generation studied or completed their studies at the beginning of Independence. We were pioneers – we wanted to prove to the world that we could do it too. We were surrounded by a terrible stigma of Soviet man, a shadow, but we had the ambition to achieve and reach. My generation succeeded in that. And now, young people have received an even greater impetus – they enter the world unburdened, creating works of global value, and are full-fledged participants in the world cultural dialogue,” says K. Sabaliauskaitė.

Historical Achievement in France

K. Sabaliauskaitė’s latest symbolic recognition will come from France. There, her duology “The Empress of Peter” (translated from Lithuanian by Marielle Vitureau) has received special attention and acclaim from both the public and critics – the first editions have seen several reprints, and the renowned Gallimard publishing house has included it in its small-format literary classics collection “Folio.” K. Sabaliauskaitė’s book is expected to be published in this collection in October.

“I am very pleased,” the author reveals. “This will be the first Lithuanian writer’s book in this series.”

Miniatures

One of the Best Decisions

“I do not have a ‘Facebook,’ ‘Instagram’ profile, nor am I on ‘TikTok’ – and that is one of the best life decisions. I do not want to show my life to voyeurs. My private life is for me, while my creative work and positions on various issues are public.”

Inspirations

Which writers inspire K. Sabaliauskaitė? Those from the academic sphere with solid academic preparation.

“I like when science and writing come together. For example, Umberto Eco, Susan Sontag, Marguerite Yourcenar – a blend of science and literature.”