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Theater director Oskaras Koršunovas told BNS that he was shocked by the death of the former teacher and colleague and emphasized her humanism, tolerance and the importance of opinion in her work.
“He was one of the main people whose opinion was extremely important to me,” said O. Korshunov.
“She saw all the performances and not just one, we always talked, she always attended all the premieres, she was rehearsing. There were several such people: Leonidas Donskis and Irena Veisaitė are really very important to me, ”he added.
O. Koršunovas says that I. Veisaitė was his teacher at the conservatory, he still remembers “incredible lectures” on “Decameron”.
Later, according to the director, the two became friends.
“That great humanity and humanism is just one example for me. Irena was a kind of compass for humanity ”, said the director.
He said that he had always trusted I. Veisaitė’s point of view.
“When faced with some controversial moral conflict, I was always thinking about Irena: how would she behave, how would I look at him. How to finally accept my abuser – in that sense I don’t know another person like that in Lithuania,” said O. Koršunovas.
“At least for me, his posture will remain the same all the time,” he added.
He said the news of I. Veisaitė’s death surprised him.
“I did not allow myself that thought, it was a great blow for me (…) Lithuania lost an intellectual, an intellectual, a human in the true sense of the word. There are very few such people. Really deep and undeclarative humanists. Personally, I no longer know those people, “said O. Koršunovas.
“Lithuania has lost the depth of knowledge”
Rimas Tuminas, artistic director of Vilnius Small and Moscow J. Vachtangov Theater, says that after I. Veisaitė’s death, Lithuania lost an extremely creative and profound person.
“Lithuania has lost the depth of knowledge that is missing today. In peace to know the beauty, the depth, the mystery of life. We have lost depth, now everything is only superficial, abstract, fast,” R. Tumin told BNS.
He said that he was not friendly with I. Veisaitė, but that he had met him in professional activities.
According to the theater director, I. Veisaitė was able to present even bad performances in a way that would compel him to attend them.
“Although he analyzed and presented a work, he did so in a very creative way, he understood the subtleties of art. She is one of those analysts who could have said about a failed or failed performance with such artistic expression that she thinks I should go see it, ”said R. Tumin.
According to him, recently she was looking for opportunities to come to Moscow, she was interested in the activities of the J. Vachtangov Theater.
“Lately she has been very interested in activities, looking for opportunities to come to Moscow, because she is well known here, and the book that was presented to her here,” said the director.
He was also impressed by the benevolence and respect of I. Veisaitė.
“He was very careful, with special respect for the young, with maternal warmth, with benevolence,” said R. Tumin.
Intellectual, theatrical, literary and human rights activist I. Veisait el died on Friday at the age of 93.
I. Veisaitė was born into a Jewish family in 1928 in Kaunas. During World War II, she was imprisoned in the Kaunas ghetto, rescued from the Holocaust, and hidden by Lithuanian friends.
After the war, I. Veisaitė studied Lithuanian language and literature at Vilnius University, graduated in German studies from Moscow University in 1953, and graduated from Saint Petersburg University (then Leningrad).
Since 1953, he taught at the Vilnius Pedagogical University for almost five decades. She has published more than 200 articles in the Lithuanian and foreign press on topics of literature, theater, Lithuanian-Jewish relations of the 20th century, history of the Holocaust and, in 2016, a book of conversations with her, the historian Aurimas Švedas.
I. Veisaitė was one of the founders of the Open Society Foundation of Lithuania in 1990, until 2000 she held various management positions in the Foundation, served on the boards of several other non-governmental organizations and was a member of the Lithuanian National Committee for UNESCO.
The scientist has won many state awards and this year she also received the German award – the Grand Cross of Merit.
The author of the book also remembers
Aurimas Švedas, author of a book about the astrologer and literary critic Irena Veisaitė, a historian from Vilnius University, says that she considers her a great friend and is therefore shocked by her death.
“Emotionally, this message was very painful because I consider Irena my great friend and dear, who has opened many things in my life. It is always very difficult to lose a good friend, “A. Švedas told BNS.
He said he remembered the last conversation with I. Veisaitė, which took place over a week ago and he was on his way to the hospital at the time.
“The last conversation took place more than a week ago, when Irena called me and told me that she was going to the hospital, but her words were: I am not going to give up,” said the historian.
“During that conversation, we talked about an endless number of things: about the current state and society, my family, about what matters to him. We spoke very briefly, but we discussed many things,” he said.
According to A. Švedas, I. Veisaitė can be considered one of the most prominent people in Lithuanian society in the second half of the 20th century, according to the historian, Lithuania has also lost an excellent “ambassador” of the country abroad.
“Lithuania has lost a person who took great care of the life of the state and society, Lithuania has lost an excellent ambassador of the state and society in the world, very benevolent.” Irena was excellent representing Lithuania, she often participated in international events, she told about the complicated history of 20th century Lithuania ”, said A. Švedas.
“She was a great diplomat and mediator between people of different generations, people of different beliefs and experiences. It was what brought people together. There is a lack of people so empathetic and open-hearted who know how to turn towards the world and accept it, ”he said.
A. Švedas added that it is difficult to describe I. Veisaitė’s personality in one word.
“Irena is a multi-colored personality, it is difficult to limit her life in one word: theater critic, Germanist, intellectual, president of the board of directors of the Open Society Foundation of Lithuania. I have listed many epithets and descriptions, but they still do not fully describe the depths of Irena’s personality, ”said the VU historian.
In 2016, A. Švedas wrote a book on I. Veisaitė “Irena Veisaitė: Life must be transparent”, stated that a representative of the Oskaras Koršunovas Theater, a friend of the late Audra Žukaitytė, offered to meet I. Veisaitė.
I. Veisaitė died on Friday at the age of 93.
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