The material side of literati bohemian life in temporary capital

Bohemianism could be characterised by financial instability, looking beyond the material well-being and opposing the materialism and philistine nature of the rest of society. The origin of bohemianism in Lithuania was stipulated by several factors. In 1918-1940, Kaunas as temporary capital was the artistic and intellectual centre of the country; the foreign bohemian experiences were adapted in the city under distinctive local conditions. The preconditions for the formation of the bohemian were the individualism of literati, characterised by the search of original artistic style and posture, as well as the motivation to join Professional community. This article presents the analysis of the material aspects of literati bohemian life and their financial dilemmas in the temporary capital. In 1919-1940, living solely on literary work was difficult. The subsistence on literature alone or an attempt to live this way were associated with freedom, independence from government authorities, and the options, but only a few writers made a resolution for this and the ones who did were rather quickly disappointed and came back to various “business” plans. During the discussed period literati bohemianism manifested itself not in an attempt to make a living solely from a literary work, but rather in the volatility of unsystematic work, irregular income and inability to manage their financial economy. The priorities of distribution of material resources also reflected the propensity towards the bohemian lifestyle: only the writers of elder generation were concerned of permanent income and the development of their place of residence, whereas the younger generation considered these things less important – a part of low income was easily spent to satisfy the bohemian inclinations