Andriulioniai homestead

Here was a homestead of Lithuanian writers Albinas Andriulionis and  Jadvyga Vailionienė-Andrulionytė.

Albinas Andrulionis.

Poet, writer, translator, librarian, teacher. Born in the village of Demeniškės, surrounded by forests in Dzūkija (now Lazdijai district). In Kaunas he completed a course for librarians and began to manage the newly established Lazdijai State Public Library (1937-1940).

This man was brought out of oblivion by the writer and publicist Romas Sadauskas, who spent many summers in Andrulionis' home village of Demeniškės.

The writer's hut no longer exists. Neither the tiny windows nor the creaking door, once sung by Albinas in his folk song poem "Mano tėviškėlė", are gone.

In order to commemorate the memory of Albinas Andrulionis, a native of Lazdijai, a children's writer, teacher, translator, and the first librarian of the Lazdijai Public State Library, a prize has been established in 2018, which is awarded annually to those authors who, with their creative texts (prose, poetry, journalism, essays, etc.), promoted the region of Lazdijai and its people or to the librarians of the municipality of the Lazdijai District for their significant contribution in the area of library science for their works carried out during the previous calendar year. A commemorative plaque will be erected in 2022 at the homestead of Albinas Andrulionis.

Jadvyga Vailionienė-Andrulionytė.

Literature, press worker. She was born in the village of Demeniškės, Lazdijai district, where she grew up, graduated from primary school and lived until 1963, later moving to Avižienys. She inherited her love for the pen from her uncle, the writer Albinas Andrulionis. Since 1991 she has been a member of the Lithuanian Rural Writers' Union.

Jadvyga Vailionienė lived a beautiful and meaningful life, reached her 91st birthday, and left more than ten books of her work, which will serve as encyclopedias for future generations - of the customs of her land, the sonorous and singing Dzūkija dialect, and the relationships between people of Dzūkija.

"A day spent without a smile is a day lost... Read, smile, and the world will smile back at you" - wrote Jadvyga Andrulionytė - Vailionienė.