Pyatras Tsvirka Lithuanian Soviet writer Date of Birth: 12.03.1909 Country: Lithuania

Biography of Petras Cvirka

Petras Cvirka was a Lithuanian Soviet writer, poet, and publicist. He was born into a peasant family and completed his education at a progymnasium in Vilki (1926). He studied at the Kaunas Art School (1926-1930) and participated in the activities of the Kaunas Workers' Club "Viltis" (Hope) from 1930 to 1931. He was a member of the literary group Third-Front and contributed to the literary journal "Trečias frontas" (The Third Front).

Cvirka received a scholarship from the "Žiburėlis" Society and studied literature and art in Paris (1931-1932). During his time in Paris, he met Louis Aragon. He became a member of the Lithuanian Writers' Society in 1934 and actively promoted the economic and cultural achievements of the Soviet Union. Cvirka was also a member of the Lithuanian Society for the Study of the Culture of the Peoples of the USSR and served as a secretary and member of the board of the Lithuanian Writers' Society.

In 1940, Cvirka became a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and a deputy of the People's Seimas. He was part of a delegation that sought Lithuania's inclusion in the Soviet Union. During the Great Patriotic War, he was evacuated to various cities and eventually settled in Moscow. Cvirka continued to be involved in the work of the Union of Soviet Writers.

After the war, Cvirka returned to Lithuania and served as the chairman of the Union of Writers of the Lithuanian SSR (1945-1947). He worked as an editor for the literary journal "Pergalė" (Victory). Cvirka was elected as a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR in 1947. He passed away on May 2, 1947, in Vilnius and was buried at the Rasos Cemetery.

Cvirka's literary works include poetry, novels, short stories, fairy tales, and articles. His first collection of poems, "First Mass" (1928), was confiscated. He gained recognition for his social novel "Earth-as-Nanny" (1935) and his satirical novel "Frank Kruk" (1934). His novel "The Master and His Sons" (1936) depicted the years of the 1905-1907 revolution and was likened to the Lithuanian version of Rolland's "Colas Breugnon."

Cvirka's works have been translated into various languages, including Russian, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Belarusian, Yiddish, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Georgian, Kabardian, Kazakh, Chinese, Latvian, Moldovan, Ossetian, Polish, Uzbek, Ukrainian, Czech, Finnish, and Estonian. His contributions to literature have been recognized through the establishment of museums and memorials dedicated to his life and work.