Martynas Mažvydas

Martynas Mažvydas (1510 – 21 May 1563) was a Protestant author who edited the first printed book in the Lithuanian language.

Variants of his name include Martinus Masvidius, Martinus Maszwidas, M. Mossuids Waytkūnas, Mastwidas, Mažvydas, Mosvidius, Maswidsche, and Mossvid Vaitkuna.

Biography

Mažvydas was a prolific 16th-century Lithuanian author, who is associated with the beginnings of Lithuanian literature. He was of Samogitian origin, born near Žemaičių Naumiestis (now in Šilutė district municipality) in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania; his parents were said to be indigent townspeople. Mažvydas spent his youth in Vilnius, where he worked together with other pioneering Lithuanian authors from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, such as Abraomas Kulvietis, Jurgis Zablockis, and possibly Stanislovas Rapolionis. Later Mažvydas would publish some of their works.

In Roman Catholic Lithuania Mažvydas was persecuted for his Protestant leanings, which motivated him to accept an invitation from Duke Albrecht of Prussia to come to Königsberg. He entered Albertina University in 1546; in 1548 he graduated from the university with a bachelor's degree. The fact that Mažvydas graduated in one-and-a-half years suggests that he had studied elsewhere before – possibly in Kraków, or at the school established by Kulvietis in Vilnius. It has also been suggested that he was teaching at Albertina University.

To spread the new Protestant faith in Prussia, Duke Albrecht commissioned the translation and publication of Lutheran texts in Old Prussian and Lithuanian. In the year 1547, while still a student in Königsberg, Mažvydas and his collaborators compiled and published the first printed Lithuanian book Catechismusa Prasty Szadei ("The Simple Words of Catechism"), which was based on the Polish version of Martin Luther's "Kleiner Katechismus", thus launching literature and book printing in Lithuanian. This book shows characteristics of the Samogitian dialect of Lithuanian, with clearly visible Aukštaitian traits.[1] It was printed at about the same time as the first books in neighbouring nations' languages: Polish in 1513 or 1514, Belarusian in 1522, Estonian in 1535, and Latvian in 1585.

In 1549, Mažvydas was appointed a priest in Ragainė, in the present-day town of Neman. In the same year, he wrote and published The Song of St. Ambrosy, with a dedication in Lithuanian. In 1554 Mažvydas became the Archdeacon of Ragainė. He oversaw the education of his parishioners, regulated agricultural matters, and continued his literary work in Lithuanian. He translated "The Form of Baptism" from German into Lithuanian and published it in Königsberg in 1559. Between 1558 and 1562 he published "The Prussian Agenda" into the prayer "Paraphrasis", published in Königsberg in 1589, after the death of the translator. Another of his major works is "The Christian Songs" (Gesmes Chriksczoniskas, Gedomas Baszniczosu Per Aduenta ir Kaledas ik Gramniczu) (Part I, in 1566; Part II, in 1570), printed by his cousin Baltramiejus Vilentas.[2] This book served as a basis for other Protestant books of songs that would later be published in Lithuania Minor.

Mažvydas initiated the patterns of several genres of Lithuanian literature: a primer; a catechism; a book of songs with notes; a prayer book; a translation of Holy Writ; and original prefaces and dedications.

He died in Königsberg (now Kaliningrad), aged about 53.

Martynas Mažvydas – XVI a. žinomiausias ir iki šiandien ryškiausiai atsimenamas lietuvių rašytojas, pirmosios lietuviškos knygos „Katekizmas“, išleistos 1547 m., autorius.

Manoma, kad Mažvydas gimė apie 1510 m. Lietuvos Didžiojoje Kunigaikštystėje. Šaltiniuose akcentuojama, kad Mažvydas yra kildinamas iš Žemaičių. Jeigu daugelio inteligentų tėvai buvo bajorai ar kitokie aukštesniam luomui priklausantys žmonės, tai būtent Martynas Mažvydas buvo visiškai kontraversiškas pavyzdys, nes jo tėvai buvo nepasiturintys miestelėnai.

Su raštija ir jos reikalais Martynas Mažvydas užsiėmė jau nuo labai ankstyvo laiko, nes jaunystėje mokėsi ir dirbo Vilniuje, kartu kurdamas ryšius ir bendradarbiaudamas su pirmųjų lietuviškųjų raštų kūrėjais iš Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės. Mažvydas palaikė reformacijos judėjimą, taigi 1546 m. dėl Prūsijos hercogo Albrechto pakvietimu Martynas Mažvydas persikėlė gyventi į Karaliaučių, kur tais pačiais metais įstojo į universitetą. Jį baigė po dviejų metų ir dėl to istorikai spėlioja, ar Martynas Mažvydas prieš tai nėjo mokslų kitur, tačiau apie tai nieko nėra žinoma. Studijuodamas Mažvydas parengė jau minėtą 1547 m. išleistą veikalą, pavadinimu „Katekizmo prasti žodžiai“. Baigęs universitetą ir išleidęs svarbiausią gyvenimo darbą Mažvydas 1549 m. buvo paskirtas būti Ragainės klebonu, tuo pačiu išleisdamas ir kitus savo veikalus. 1554 m. jis tapo Ragainės arkidiakonu. Būdamas atsidavęs tikėjimui ir savo parapijiečiams Martynas Mažvydas laiko nestokodavo nei jiems, nei savo leidžiamiems veikalams.

Martynas Mažvydas mirė 1563 m.