Bernardas Brazdžionis - ateitininkas ir jo santykis su rusų literatūra

LTSantykis su rusų literatūra ir kultūra Brazdžioniui buvo svarbus, kad ir prieštaringas. Brazdžionis skaitė slavų klasikus, buvo susipažinęs su Rusijos modernistų kūryba, o jaunystėje netgi jais sekė, nors dėl politinių, ideologinių, religinių, o galbūt ir psichologinių priežasčių stengėsi to neafišuoti. Vis dėlto kai kurios tendencijos leidžia manyti, kad bręsdamas kaip poetas ir kaip asmenybė Brazdžionis buvo linkęs ieškoti kompromisų ir bendradarbiavimo galimybių. Deja, mes niekada nesužinosime, kaip būtų natūraliai susiklostę tolimesni jo ryšiai su rusų literatūra [p. 155].

ENBernardas Brazdžionis' relationships with Russian literature were both important and ambivalent at the same time. He liked Russian authors of the Romantic period, read the modern Russian poetry (especially Aleksandr Blok) and even tried to imitate it. However, the Lithuanian poet never openly demonstrated his interest in Slavonic literature. Being member of Lithuanian Catholic Federation "Ateitis", Brazdžionis had some political, ideological, religious, and psychological reasons to deny Russian culture, since any ties with the Soviet Russia at that time could be interpreted as sympathies to Bolsheviks. Therefore, Aleksandras Jakštas-Dambrauskas criticized the strong influence of Russian futurists on the young poet's book Amžinas žydas (The Eternal Jew, 1931). Reacting to that critical review Brazdžionis stopped his experimentation with poetical language. Jakštas was sure that the experiments with poetical form denied harmonious Christian tradition and were related with cultural bolshevism. Brazdžionis wished to prove his loyalty to the Catholic Church and avoided conflicts with the clerical estate. He began to criticize the avant-garde movement and Russian futurism as decadent decline. Very soon he referred to Max Nordau and Ce-sare Lombroso ideas to explain modern art as degeneration and psychosis. Conservative position was characteristic to the Catholic youth and "Šatrija" union whose member Brazdžionis was, as well as to the aesthetical program of "Ateitis" federation. When Jonas Aistis wrote an encyclopedic article about Brazdžionis' creative work, he stressed that the poet had never been influenced by Slavonic literature.This false affirmation became a stereotype of Lithuanian criticism. However, some later facts show that Brazdžionis made efforts to look for compromises, as well as possibilities to publish his writings in Russian emigre press. He was interested in cultural work of Evgenij Shkliar and intended to introduce his poetry in Baltijskij Almanach. Unfortunately, it is impossible to find out how Brazdžionis' relationships with Russian literature would have developed if the World War II had not interrupted the natural process of Lithuanian literature.