Between ideology and the criticism of culture: the case of Julijonas Linde-Dobilas
ENThe history of intellectual ideas in Lithuania as a new field of interdisciplinary research provides possibilities for mapping out and revisiting areas that were abandoned by the indoctrinated and strictly departmentalized humanities of the last few decades. During the years of dependence intellectual ideas and authors of the first half of the 20th century were judged according to how closely they related to the Marxist tradition. Consequently, many writers who dissociated themselves from Marxist doctrines were dismissed as second-rate. The writings and opinions of Julijonas Linde-Dobilas constituted a difficult case for the humanities in the Soviet period, and not only because of his critical distance from Marxism or service in Roman Catholic Church. Researchers into the history of Lithuanian philosophy, with a few exceptions,' never sufficiently focused on his philosophical and critical papers, while literary critics as interested in him as an important novelist and a somewhat less successful playwright never discussed his non-fictional writings. Revival of interest in his person and writings, represented by the recent publication of his biography and a volume of collected theoretical writings, give further impetus to revisit the ideas of a dissenting writer from a period when modern Lithuanian ideology of culture was taking shape. I feel, however, obliged to note that Linde-Dobilas's contribution to the Lithuanian history of intellectual ideas demands a more elaborate discussion than this essay can offer.
