Editing Lithuania (section)

===Literature===
{{Main|Lithuanian literature}}
[[File:Mažvydo Katekizmas, Vilnius.jpg|thumb|upright|The first Lithuanian [[printing|printed]] book, ''[[Catechism of Martynas Mažvydas]]'' (1547, Königsberg)]]
[[File:Radivilias.jpg|thumb|right|upright|The title page of ''Radivilias'' (1592, Vilnius). The poem celebrating commander [[Mikołaj "the Red" Radziwiłł|Mikalojus Radvila Rudasis]] (1512–1584) and recounts the [[Battle of Ula|famous victory]] of [[Lithuanian Armed Forces]] over Moscow troops (1564).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Radvanas |first1=Jonas |title=Radivilias, sive De vita, et rebus praeclarissime gestis immortalis memoriae |url=http://www.theeuropeanlibrary.org/exhibition-reading-europe/detail.html?id=97294 |website=theeuropeanlibrary.org |publisher=ex officina Ioannis Kartzani |access-date=14 July 2018}}</ref>]]
There is a great deal of Lithuanian literature written in [[Latin]], the main scholarly language of the Middle Ages. The edicts of the Lithuanian King [[Mindaugas]] are the prime example of the literature of this kind. The [[Letters of Gediminas]] are another crucial heritage of the Lithuanian Latin writings.

One of the first Lithuanian authors who wrote in Latin was [[Mikołaj Hussowczyk|Nicolaus Hussovianus]] (around 1480 – after 1533). His poem ''Carmen de statura, feritate ac venatione bisontis'' (''A Song about the Appearance, Savagery and Hunting of the Bison''), published in 1523, describes the Lithuanian landscape, way of life and customs, touches on some actual political problems, and reflects the clash of paganism and Christianity. A person under the pseudonym {{ill|Michalo Lituanus|lt}} (around 1490 – 1560) wrote a treatise ''[[De moribus tartarorum, lituanorum et moscorum]]'' (''On the Customs of Tatars, Lithuanians and Muscovites'') in the middle of the 16th century, but it was not published until 1615. An extraordinary figure in the cultural life of Lithuania in the 16th century was the lawyer and poet of Spanish origin Petrus Roysius Maurus Alcagnicensis (around 1505 – 1571). The publicist, lawyer, and mayor of Vilnius, [[Augustinus Rotundus]] (around 1520–1582) wrote a no longer existent history of Lithuania in Latin around the year 1560. loannes Radvanus, a humanist poet of the second half of the 16th century, wrote an epic poem imitating the [[Aeneid]] of [[Virgil|Vergil]]. His ''Radivilias'', intended to become the Lithuanian national epic, was published in Vilnius in 1588.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dambrauskaitė |first1=Ramunė |title=A Latin Funeral Oration From Vilnius (1594) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=101lb8v-bJcC&pg=PA253 |publisher=Leuven University Press, Humanistica Lovaniensia |access-date=13 July 2018 |location=Leuven |page=253 |date=1995|isbn=978-90-6186-680-0}}</ref>

17th century Lithuanian scholars also wrote in Latin – {{ill|Kazimieras Kojelavičius-Vijūkas|lt|Kojelavičius}}, [[Žygimantas Liauksminas]] are known for their Latin writings in theology, rhetorics and music. [[Albertas Kojalavičius-Vijūkas]] wrote first printed Lithuanian history ''Historia Lithuania''.

Lithuanian literary works in the [[Lithuanian language]] started being first published in the 16th century. In 1547 [[Martynas Mažvydas]] compiled and published the first printed Lithuanian book ''Katekizmo prasti žodžiai'' (''The Simple Words of Catechism''), which marks the beginning of literature, printed in Lithuanian. He was followed by [[Mikalojus Daukša]] with ''Katechizmas''. In the 16th and 17th centuries, as in the whole Christian Europe, Lithuanian literature was primarily religious.

The evolution of the old (14th–18th century) Lithuanian literature ends with [[Kristijonas Donelaitis]], one of the most prominent authors of the [[Age of Enlightenment]]. Donelaitis' poem ''Metai'' (''[[The Seasons (poem)|The Seasons]]'') is a landmark of the Lithuanian fiction literature, written in [[hexameter]].<ref name="INST">Institute of Lithuanian Scientific Society. {{cite web|url=http://anthology.lms.lt/ |title=Lithuanian Classic Literature |access-date=16 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050204191505/http://anthology.lms.lt/ |archive-date=4 February 2005}}</ref>

With a mix of [[Classicism]], [[Sentimentalism (literature)|Sentimentalism]] and [[Romanticism]], the Lithuanian literature of the first half of the 19th century is represented by [[Maironis]], [[Antanas Baranauskas]], [[Simonas Daukantas]], [[Oscar Milosz]], and [[Simonas Stanevičius]].<ref name="INST" /> During the Tsarist annexation of Lithuania in the 19th century, the [[Lithuanian press ban]] was implemented, which led to the formation of the [[Knygnešiai]] (Book smugglers) movement. This movement is thought{{who|date=October 2024}} to be the very reason the Lithuanian language and literature survived.

20th-century Lithuanian literature is represented by [[Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas]], [[Antanas Vienuolis]], [[Bernardas Brazdžionis]], [[Antanas Škėma]], [[Balys Sruoga]], [[Vytautas Mačernis]] and [[Justinas Marcinkevičius]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}

In 21st century debuted [[Kristina Sabaliauskaitė]], Renata Šerelytė, Valdas Papievis, [[Laura Sintija Černiauskaitė]], [[Ruta Sepetys|Rūta Šepetys]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}