SUMMARY

This is the anniversary issue of Rubinaitis. The magazine, launched in 1994, celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. It is the only publication of its kind (literary studies) for adults on children’s and youth literature in Lithuania. Several publications are dedicated to this occasion, and artist and writer Kotryna Zylė has created a special festive cover. The issue opens with an editorial “Rubinaitis Embraces its Reader” by Džiuljeta Maskuliūnienė, the Editor-in-Chief, welcoming the significant anniversary of the magazine and inviting people to collaborate with the magazine and write for it. Aldona Augustaitienė presents the bibliography of 100 issues of Rubinaitis, compiled by bibliographer Reda Tamulienė and published in electronic form on the eve of the anniversary. Kristina Dorofėjienė tells about the peripeteia of the erection of the monument to Simonas Daukantas, who created the character of Rubinaitis Peliūzė in the 19th century, in Papilė (it is the name of this character, the Lithuanian Robinson Crusoe, that has been chosen for the title of our magazine Rubinaitis). The monument was designed by the famous Lithuanian sculptor Vincas Grybas. In the rubric “The Contexts”, Danguolė Šakavičiūtė reviews performance for family, based on Simonas Daukantas “Rubinaitis Peliūzė, or the Lithuanian Way of Survival” (director Saulė Degutytė, script by Sandra Bernotaitė). It is an impressive actualization of the 19th century Lithuanian literary work for the contemporary audience. In the section “The Anniversaries”, there is an article by Džiuljeta Maskuliūnienė discussing the work and activities of Kęstutis Urba, a scientist, lecturer, and the long-time editor of Rubinaitis magazine (dedicated to his 70th birth anniversary). This rubric also features an article by Kristina Vaisvalavičienė on the work of the Latvian literary classic Jānis Baltvilks (on the 80th anniversary of the writer’s birth), as well as his interesting poem, which is composed entirely of place names. In the “Scientific Research” rubric, there is an article by Aleksandra Strelcova “The object of the new didacticism is the representation of death and mourning in contemporary Lithuanian literature for children and teenagers”, and an article by Raminta Sarapaitė and Vaiva Schoroškienė “Developing 3-4-year-old children’s interest in books and reading through picturebooks”. The rubric “Photos Tell” talks about the 30th anniversary of the Children’s and Youth Literature Department of Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania (by Roma Kišūnaitė). The “Conversation” rubric presents the charity and support foundation “Let’s Educate Children” and the work it has done in its 10 years of existence. Alma Valantinienė interviews publisher and translator Vida Bėkštienė in the rubric “The Readings of My Childhood”. Vainius Bakas reviews Juozas Gaižauskas’ book Antarktidos indėnai (The Indians of Antarctica) in the rubric “With a Close Glance”. The issue concludes with “Chronicle, Information, Announcements” and Cover IV, which tells about the sculptures of the gnome, a favourite character of mythology, folklore and children’s literature, which decorate Kaunas city. The sculptor of the old Fountain-Gnome, installed in 1923, is unknown, while the author of another gnome, donated to Kaunas by the city of Wrocław in 2018, is Beata Zwolańska- Hołod.

Žurnalas „Rubinaitis“, 2024 Nr. 4 (112)