Epistolophilia: Writing the Life of Ona Šimaitė

234 Pages·2012·10.573 MB·English

by  Julija Šukys

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EPi olophilia

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EPi olophilia
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Wrıtıng e Life of Ona Šimaıt˙e
Julija Šuky s
University of Nebraska Press · Lincoln & London
1. Šimaitė, Ona, 1894–1970. 2. Šimaitė,
© 2012 by Julija Šukys
Ona, 1894–1970—Correspondence.
The letters in chapters 4 and 11 3. Šimaitė, Ona, 1894–1970—Diaries.
appeared as “Letters from a Librar- 4. Biography—Authorship. 5. Righteous
ian: Lost and Found in Vilna.” Gentiles in the Holocaust—Lithuania—
pmla 118 (2003): 302–17. Vilnius—Vilna—Biography. 6. Holocaust
survivors—Lithuania—Vilnius—Vilna—
Portions of the book, including
Biography. 7. Holocaust, Jewish (1939–
parts of chapters 3 and 5, appeared
1945)—Lithuania—Vilnius—Vilna.
in “Ona Šimaitė and the Vilnius
8. World War, 1939–1945—Jews—Rescue
Ghetto: An Unwritten Memoir.”
—Lithuania—Vilnius. 9. Librarians—
Lituanus 54 (2008): 5–25.
Lithuania—Vilnius—Vilna—Biography.
All rights reserved. Manufactured 10. Vilnius (Lithuania)—Biography.
in the United States of America. I. Title.
D804.66.S54S85 2012
940.53'18092—dc23
Library of Congress [B] 2011030426
Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Frontispiece: Ona Šimaitė.
Šukys, Julija. Epistolophilia:
F15-561. Mažvydas National
writing the life of Ona Šimaitė
Library of Lithuania Rare Books
/ Julija Šukys. p. cm.
and Manuscripts Department.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-8032-3632-5 Set in Arno by Kim Essman.
(cloth: alk. paper) Designed by Nathan Putens.
In memory of Ona
Šimaitė’s friends:
Gershon Malakiewicz,
Kazys Jakubėnas,
Anna Abramowicz,
Tanya Shterntal,
and so many others.
Ω n.
Epistolophilia /i ' pist(ə) lə( ) ' filiə/

Love of letters and letter writing; affection
for the art of epistolography; a sickness
characterized by excessive letter writing.
List of Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xi
A Note on Place Names xiii
Contents
part one
1. The Woman in the Park 3
2. Vilnius 10
3. Correspondence 16
4. Ona Šimaitė’s Letters to
Marijona Čilvinaitė,
1957–1958 23
5. Caregiving and Letters 29
part two
6. A Childhood Tale 43
7. Russian Letters 47
8. Everyday Writings 53
part three
9. Ghetto 61
10. Mowszowicz 69
11. Letters to Kazys Jakubėnas,
1941–1943 79
12. Destruction of the Ghetto 88
part four
13. Kazys 95
14. Kazys’s Death 101
15. Alfonsas’s Theory 107
part five
16. Catholicism, Sex, and Sin 111
17. Mothering 119
part six
18. Ludelange 127
19. Freedom 130
20. Toulouse 135
21. Letters to New York 141
22. La Courtine 149
part seven
23. The Ghetto Library 155
24. Librarians 163
25. Writing a Woman’s Life 165
part eight
26. Aldutė 171
27. Family Letters 176
28. Soviet Schizophrenia 180
29. Death in Vilnius 186
30. Paris 1968 195
31. Single and Crazy 199
part nine
32. Cormeilles 205
33. October 208
Notes 209
Works Cited 213
maps
1. Ona Šimaitė’s journey xvi
2. The Vilna Ghetto and
surrounding neighborhood 67
Illustrations photographs
1. Ona Šimaitė xiv
2. Šimaitė’s apartment
building in Paris 6
3. Šimaitė’s letters 17
4. Vytautas Kauneckas 18
5. Marijona Čilvinaitė 22
6. A page from Šimaitė’s diary 28
7. Details from Šimaitė’s
diaries 31–33
8. Šimaitė in Israel 34
9. Šimaitė, possibly with the
Estonian woman 37
10. Isaac Nachman Steinberg 46
11. Šimaitė in Israel 56
12. Šimaitė with the dolls
she made 57
13. The Franciscan Church
in Vilnius 64
14. Number 13 Savičiaus Street 65
15. Kazys Jakubėnas 78
16. Sala Vaksman/Tanya Shterntal
with her husband 118
17. Toulouse 134