Laurynas Rokas Ivinskis (15 August 1810 – 29 July 1881) was a Lithuanian teacher, publisher, translator, and lexicographer. He is best known for a series of annual calendars published between 1846 and 1877. The calendars were the first to publish Antanas Baranauskas' most famous poem The Forest of Anykščiai. Born into a Samogitian noble family, Ivinskis attended gymnasium in Kolainiai. His studies were interrupted by the Uprising of 1831. He did not have funds for a university and worked as a tutor for various local noble families. In 1854, Ivinskis managed to get a job at a government-run primary school and taught in Rietavas and Joniškėlis. In 1864, Tsarist authorities enacted the Lithuanian press ban which prohibited publishing Lithuanian texts in the Latin alphabet. Ivinskis joined a government commission which worked to publish Lithuanian texts in the Cyrillic script. He came to oppose the press ban and left the commission in 1866. He returned to tutoring. His students included Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė, brothers Gabriel and Stanisław Narutowicz, and Vladimir Zubov. In 1874–1879, Ivinskis worked as a teacher at a music school established in Rietavas by Bogdan Michał Ogiński. During his life, Ivinskis published only two works – his annual calendars and Genovaitė, a translation of the sentimental story Genovefa by Christoph von Schmid. The calendars were the first periodic Lithuanian publication in the Russian Empire. They included articles with practical medical, agricultural, etc. advice to Lithuanian peasants. The calendars are valued for including a literary section which published examples of Lithuanian folklore, didactic stories, and original and translated poems. His translations of Night-Thoughts and A Poem on the Last Day by Edward Young were published in the 1890s in the United States. In 1856, he worked on establishing Aitvaras, the first Lithuanian newspaper, but the project was not approved by the Tsarist authorities. Ivinskis wrote many other works, including three unfinished Lithuanian dictionaries and a Lithuanian grammar. His illustrated mushroom atlas was to be exhibited at the 1873 Vienna World's Fair but was lost in transit. He established contacts with the Russian Geographical Society and sent them a collection of Lithuanian proverbs and riddles.
Biography
Early life and education Ivinskis was born on 15 August [O.S. 3 August] 1810 in the parish of Šilalė to a family of landless Samogitian nobles. Before researcher Vytautas Merkys discovered his baptismal records in 1988, his place of birth was indicated as Bambalai near Užventis based on memoirs of Ivinskis' friend Aleksandras Moras. Since his parents did not own land, they rented farms from nobles and moved frequently. Ivinskis grew up in Dargiai near Laukuva and Kaupos near Tverai where his parents rented a farm from bishop Juozapas Arnulfas Giedraitis. Around 1820, the family moved to Bambalai and Ivinskis enrolled at a gymnasium in nearby Kolainiai in 1824. The gymnasium was maintained by the Carmelites. Ivinskis was a good student and chose to study all languages that were offered as electives. In 1830, he graduated from the 3rd grade and was supposed to continue studies at the 4th grade. However, due to the Uprising of 1831 and a lack of students, the school canceled the 4th grade.
Home teacher Due to the uprising, Vilnius University was closed and Ivinskis had no money for Russian universities. Therefore, he worked as a tutor of local noble children near Kuršėnai. This period of Ivinskis' life is poorly documented. In 1841, Ivinskis passed exams and received an official home teacher's permit. Around 1842, he moved near Rietavas. He continued to work as a teacher until about 1854. In his free time, he collected examples of Lithuanian folklore, attempted to write poetry, and described local plant and fungus species. He prepared the first Lithuanian calendar in 1845, but lacked funds for publication. He borrowed 60 Russian rubles from Ireneusz Kleofas Ogiński, the owner of the Rietavas Manor, and published the calendar at the Zawadzki printing shop in Vilnius. His calendar was published annually until 1867. Ivinskis also worked on various other publications. In 1846, with the help of Ogiński, Ivinskis applied for a teaching job at a parish school in Rietavas. However, he was rejected, probably due to Russification policies which required Lithuanians to have at least five years of experience teaching in Russia. In 1847, Ivinskis passed exams for an official city teacher's license, but still could not get a job at a government school. In 1851–1854, he taught noble children in Pavirvytė, Naciūnai (Jurbarkas), Zabieliškis.
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