Correspondence of Jan Karłowicz with Polish and Lithuanian writers and cultural activists

The collection of the Lithuanian State Historical Archives in Vilnius possesses the legacy (mainly letters) of prof. Jan Karłowicz (1836–1903), a famous Polish historian, ethnographer, musicologist and translator. The research of that legacy shows that professor’s correspondence with other writers, mainly Polish, were extensive. While living in Warsaw, he was friends with all of the most famous writers of the era of positivism (E. Orzeszkowa, M. Konopnicka, H. Sienkiewicz), he was interested in their works and encouraged them to cooperate with the monthly magazine “Wisła”. He also brought other Lithuanian writers into cooperation with this valued magazine. The letters of M. Davainis-Silvestraitis and A. Baranauskas, a connoisseur of the classicist Lithuanian literature, prove that the affairs of Lithuania were important to Karłowicz, as it was his historic homeland