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Algirdas Julien GreimasLithuanian and French linguist, folklorist and literary scholar.
Date of Birth: 09.03.1917
Country:  France |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Military Service and Return to France
- Academic Career
- Semiotics and Structuralism
- Contribution to Lithuanian Mythology
- Legacy
Early Life and Education
Algirdas Julien Greimaswas born in 1917 in Tula, Russia, to a Lithuanian family. He spent his childhood in Lithuania and attended high school in Marijampolė.
In 1934, Greimas began studying law at Vytautas Magnus University in Lithuania. However, he soon switched to linguistics and pursued his studies at the University of Grenoble in France from 1936 to 1939. During this time, he researched Franco-Provençal dialects.
Military Service and Return to France
In 1939, Greimas returned to Lithuania to complete his military service. He was mobilized during World War II, but escaped to France in 1944.
Academic Career
After the war, Greimas resumed his academic pursuits in France. In 1949, he obtained his doctorate from the Sorbonne. He taught at several universities, including Alexandria University in Egypt, Ankara University in Turkey, Istanbul University in Turkey, and the University of Poitiers in France.
Semiotics and Structuralism
In the 1960s, Greimas became a leading figure in the field of semiotics. He was the director of the semiotic research group at the École Pratique des Hautes Études in Paris from 1963 onwards and co-founded the Paris School of Semiotics.
Greimas' work focused on structuralist approaches to language and literature. He combined French structuralism with insights from Russian formalism, particularly the work of Vladimir Propp.
Contribution to Lithuanian Mythology
In the 1970s, Greimas turned his attention to the study and reconstruction of Lithuanian mythology. He utilized structuralist methods developed by Claude Lévi-Strauss, Georges Dumézil, and Marcel Detienne.
Legacy
Greimas' work on semiotics, structuralism, and Lithuanian mythology has had a profound impact on linguistics, literary theory, and anthropology. He is considered one of the most influential intellectuals of the 20th century.
Greimas passed away in 1992 and was buried in Kaunas, Lithuania, near his mother's grave.
