Vincas Kudirka
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Vincas Kudirka (Paežeriai, 31 December
He began by studying history and philosophy in Warsaw in 1881; he changed to medicine the following year. During his studies, he was arrested as a subversive for having a copy of Das Kapital, was expelled from university, and later reintegrated. He graduated in 1889, and worked later as a doctor in Šakiai and Naumiestis.
Kudirka begun writing poetry in 1888. Simultaneously he became more active in the Lithuanian nationalist movement. Together with other Lithuanian student at Warsaw, he founded the secret society Lietuva ("Lithuania"). The following year the society began publishing the clandestine newspaper Varpas ("Bell"), which Kudirka directed and wrote in for the next 10 years. On number 6 of Varpas, in September 1898, he published the text of Tautiška Giesmė, which would officially become in 1918 the Lithuanian national anthem, set to music written by Kudirka himself.
Kudirka gave a great impulse to Lithuanian culture, and published a collection of Lithuanian popular songs. He was also a famous satirical writer.
He died of tuberculosis on November 16, 1899, at age 40. On his gravestone was ingraved the second verse of Tautiška Giesme.
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