August 12 of this year was the 100th anniversary of Birutė Pūkelevičiūtė (1923–2007), a charismatic actor, director and author, famous throughout North American Lithuanian communities and in Lithuania. Best-known were her leading roles in “Baltaragio malūnas” (based on a book by Kazys Boruta) and “Milžino paunksmė” (by Balys Sruoga). She also staged and later filmed the story of the golden goose (“Aukso žąsis”), with the first two recorded in Canada.
Pūkelevičiūtė wrote six children’s books and four novels for adults (“Aštuoni lapai” and “Devintas lapas”, “Naujųjų metų istorija” and “Rugsėjo šeštadienis”), a book of short stories (“Marco Polo Lietuvoje”), a collection of plays (“Žydra ir geltona”), two books of poetry, and a number of librettos and translations. The author was the recipient of nine awards in the diaspora, and the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas.
A large archive of her life is housed in the Maironis Museum of Lithuanian Literature, documenting her time in Lithuania (1923–1944), Germany (1944–1948), Montreal, Canada (1948–1962), USA (1962–1999), and again in Lithuania (1999–2007).
Birutė Klara Pūkelevičiūtė was born on August 12, 1923 in Kaunas, where she graduated from “Saulės” High School. A studious girl, she wrote poetry easily, as well as scenarios for school events. She also loved laughter, opera, summers at Palanga and at Scout camps, and developed a passion for the theatre, which she pursued against her parents’ wishes. Yet she also studied German and journalism at Vytautas Magnus University. The repressions of German and Soviet occupations caused a mass exodus of many Lithuanians to Germany, among whom was the Pūkelevičius family. Unfortunately, en route she became separated from her family, was arrested and sent to a work camp. She escaped to West Berlin, and later to the refugee camp in Augsburg. Her letters speak of her intense involvement with Lithuanian theatre there.
When the opportunity to emigrate arose, she applied for work in Canada and began her new life as a caregiver in Winnipeg. Once her contract was complete, she moved to Montreal, where she once again took up theatre and writing. With her multi-faceted talents, including set design and lighting, she became director of the Montreal theatre group, staging hugely successful performances throughout Lithuanian communities in North America.
Dedicating her life to theatre, literature and cinema, Pūkelevičiūtė is often credited as one of the strongest and most unique voices in Lithuanian literature, both from an émigré perspective and within LIthuania.
