Lina Mickutė, Birutė Bikelytė. Iliustruota Žemaitės gyvenimo ir kūrybos istorija (The Illustrated Story of Life and Work of Žemaitė), Vilnius: 700 eilučių, 2025. – 72 p.

The book presents the life of Julija Beniuševičiūtė-Žymantienė (1845–1921), a prominent figure of the Lithuanian national revival and culture and one of the first Lithuanian women writers. She signed her works with the pseudonym Žemaitė, referring to her origins in the distinctive north-western region of Lithuania known as Žemaitija (Samogitia). She wrote in the local Samogitian dialect at a time when the standard Lithuanian language was only beginning to form and the Lithuanian-language press was banned by the Russian Empire. The author carefully selects key episodes from the writer’s life that reveal Žemaitė as a curious, loving, strong, and selfless personality. Born into a noble but poor and educated family, she grew up close to the world of peasants and from an early age sympathised with those who were weaker or oppressed. Later she consciously chose to identify with the socially disadvantaged yet culturally most Lithuanian stratum of society – marrying a poor and illiterate former serf, working hard on the farm, and raising six children. Even after becoming a well-known writer, she continued to wear a traditional headscarf throughout her life, emphasising her identity and solidarity with ordinary people.

Žemaitė began writing realistic short stories when she was nearly fifty. In her works she depicted the everyday life of peasants without embellishment, addressed the position of women in the family and society, wrote motivational articles for Lithuanian newspapers, and was an advocate for women’s and national rights. During the First World War she helped organise support for refugees, and at the age of seventy she travelled to the United States to raise funds for Lithuanian war refugees.

The narrative is enriched with playful comic-style illustrations that visualise humorous and slightly satirical moments from the writer’s life and highlight her originality. These illustrations also help reduce the distance between a canonical literary figure and the contemporary young reader. The biographical story is further complemented by facts about world events of the same period, quotations from Žemaitė’s works, and archival photographs.

Lina Mickutė (b. 1987) is a children’s book author and one of the founders of the publishing label 700 eilučių. Her aim is to create and publish engaging and educational books for curious young readers. In her works Mickutė introduces children to important and fascinating personalities from Lithuanian history and culture. She collaborates with illustrator Birutė Bikelytė on a series of similarly designed comic-style books about writers. Rich in colourful illustrations and intriguing facts, these books appeal not only to children but also to their parents.

Birutė Bikelytė (b. 1988) is a designer, illustrator, educator, and lecturer in graphic design. Historical themes frequently appear in her creative work. Birutė is recognised for her witty comic illustrations, a style she has used in three biographical books for children created together with author Lina Mickutė about prominent figures of Lithuanian culture. For the first book in this series, dedicated to the Lithuanian philosopher Vydūnas (2018), she was nominated for the IBBY Lithuania Section Prize for the most artistic two-colour illustrations.

Contact for rights: leidykla@700eiluciu.lt