Knygnešys iš Toronto

LTBiografinės knygos herojus - išskirtinė asmenybė, labai daug nusipelniusi Lietuvai. Tai - Kanadoje gyvenantis profesorius Genius Procuta, dovanojęs mūsų bibliotekoms per 10 000 vertingų knygų. Jo dovanoti leidiniai - viena unikaliausių Vilniaus universiteto bibliotekos kolekcijų. Toji knygnešystė pradėta dar sovietmečiu, VU bibliotekai pažymint 400 metų jubiliejų. G. Procuta - ne tik išskirtinis knygos bičiulis, filantropas, mecenatas, įdomi ir jo mokslinė - sovietologo - veikla, labai vertingi darbai holokausto tema, ypač studija, kurią parašė knygai, skirtai lietuviams, gelbėjusiems žydus. Dėmesio verta ir šios visapusiškai įdomios asmenybės, toli nuo tėvynės užaugusio tautiečio bičiulystė su žymiais išeivijos ir Lietuvos meno bei kultūros žmonėmis, jo artimiausioji aplinka.

ENThe first time I heard of Martynas Genius Procuta was in the summer of 2000, when Chicago artist Vytautas Osvaldas Virkau was celebrating his seventieth birthday. On this occasion, I wrote an essay, published in Literatūra ir menas, which his friend of their younger years read. Let us call this friend Genius or Genutis, as he himself likes to be called. Genius, having received a packet of journals and newspapers from Lithuania and after reading my essay, decided not to miss such an opportunity and without delay decided to write to his friend of times past, putting all other tasks aside. Sometime later, Vytautas sent me this ten-page letter so I could read the warm greetings and best wishes and memories of the gymnasium in Munich for myself, as well reminiscences of their experiences, common interests and aspirations in the Hyde Park area of Chicago and at “Santara-Šviesa” conferences. And perhaps the most important point in this letter is the respect for mode of life creativity. This brought me back to 1970, to the quadricentennial celebration of the Vilnius University Library, which drew the two friends even closer. Genius proposed marking this celebration with a gift to the Vilnius University Library of 400 books, and Vytautas was asked to design a bookplate, his first, but not his last-later he designed many more. And Procuta continued his task like a “book peddler” of old times without stopping.True, this book-peddling is somewhat different than that of the nineteenth or beginning of twentieth centuries in which Lithuanian books printed in the Latin alphabet were smuggled in during the ban imposed by the Russian empire. However, its results are impressive, and the book peddler’s persistence is worthy of highest respect and attention. Lithuanian libraries have received about ten thousand volumes of books and other publications, including many rare items. University of Toronto was enriched as well by three thousand books related to Lithuanian studies and some three hundred bookplates as well as maps. And that letter written fifteen years ago to Vytautas became useful again when I was writing about Genius’s life and work. It became evident that such important information should never be discarded. This is how I got to know the principal protagonist of this book. In 2016 there appeared some information about the offspring of the ancient oak of Stelmužė in the United States, which Vytautas grew from acorns and which thrived at his summer residence and also flourish in Chicago. Genius Procuta read about it in Tėviškės žiburiai and immediately wrote his friend of times past.“The thousand year old oak of Stelmužė, going back to the pagan times, to me and to like-minded Lithuanians is a symbol of survival,” wrote Genius in a June 8 letter and immediately it led to another symbol-books, which are also a particular symbol of survival and which so meaningfully connect with the “bookpeddler” living in Toronto. The letter mentions that it is directly connected to the very first bookplate designed for the Vilnius University Library commemorating its four hundredth anniversary. At the same time, a bookplate for the Kaunas Botanical garden was also designed, which was “the beginning of the wonderful saga of the establishment of the oak of Stelmužė in the United States.” Good and great works always have a nice sequel. Let’s wish that the gift of books has an equally a long life as the oak. Genius Procuta, the protagonist of this book, is not only a friend of books, but also philanthropist and a patron; his scholarly work embraces the Soviet era, particularly interesting is his study of Holocaust with an emphasis on Lithuanians who sheltered Jews during the their annihilation. Noteworthy is also his bearing and his close friendship with many notable Lithuanians here and abroad.