Memorial of distinguished writer to enlighten capital

  • 2005-08-17
  • From wire reports
VILNIUS - A monument to one of the 20th century's most famous Lithuanian writers, Romain Gary, will soon make its appearance in Vilnius.


The sculpture of a boy clutching a shoe, representing Gary's childhood in Vilnius, is expected to be unveiled this fall.

Romas Ramanauskas, an actor and chairman of the Vilnius Romain Gary Club, told the Baltic News Service that the sculpture was likely to stand near a building owned by Lietuvos Gelezinkeliai (Lithuanian Railways) on Basanaviciaus Street.

Speaking of the actual sculpture, Ramanauskas, who has undertaken this project for several years, said, "It will be a boy gazing up at a house, clutching a shoe."

He developed the idea after reading Gary's book "La Promesse de L'aube" (Promise at Dawn), in which the writer described growing up in Vilnius during the early 1900s. Gary spent most of his childhood in a house on the current Basanaviviaus Street.

The sculpture will be built near the house.

According to Ramanauskas, Lithuanian Railways has pledged to fund the monument.

Sculptor Romualdas Kvintas has already created a model of the boy.

Ramanauskas said he encountered various obstacles with both the site and obtaining funds, yet he hopes that the sculpture of the world-famous writer will finally see the light of day in Vilnius.

Gary (original surname Kacew) was born in Vilnius in May 1914. He spent several years of his childhood in Russia together with his mother, actress Nina Borisovskaya, later returning to the Lithuanian capital.

After spending some time in Warsaw, Gary and his mother moved to France in 1927, where he studied law and aviation. The writer later participated in the resistance movement of World War II.

In 1945, he published his first novel "L'Education Europeenne" 's which gained wide recognition. French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre called the novel the best book covering the resistance.

Gary won the Prix Goncourt prize in 1956 for his novel "Les Racines du Ciel" (The Roots of Heaven), which highlighted mankind's barbaric treatment of nature.

Writing under the pseudonym of Emile Ajar, in 1975 he won the second Prix Goncourt for his book "La Vie Devant Soi" (Life Ahead of You). He passed away in 1980 as the only writer ever to receive the prestigious award twice.

The anniversary of Gary's 90th birthday was celebrated in Vilnius last year.