The Department of Textual Scholarship was established in 1990, when the natural need arose at the end of the Soviet era for new academic editions of the creative legacy of the most prominent Lithuanian writers. Since its foundation, the department was headed by Vytautas Vanagas (1990-200) and later by Marius Daškus (200-2004). Currently, Mikas Vaicekauskas (since 2004) is the chair of the department. Over the past three decades, the department has become the most important  centre of textual scholarship in Lithuania.

 

The main directions of the department’s research are: preparation and publishing of scholarly editions and publications of Lithuanian classic literature and literary heritage, research of theoretical, practical and historiographical issues of textual studies, and analysis, development and application of scholarly and popular prototypes of editions of sources, in accordance with the principles of authenticity, attribution, accurate textual identification and scholarly publishing. 

 

The department has been working on serial volumes of the Raštai [The Works] by Kristijonas Donelaitis, Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas, Vincas Mykolaitis-Putinas and Balys Sruoga. The volumes of the oeuvre by Simonas Daukantas, Motiejus Valančius, Antanas Baranauskas, Ignas Šeinius have already been published.

 

The researchers of the department are taking part in the long-term research programs, “Research and Publication of Classical Lithuanian and Prussian Multilingual Literature and Its Cultural Contexts” (headed by Dr. Asta Vaškelienė, 2022-2026) and “Transformations of 20th- and 21st-Century Lithuanian Literature: Canon, Poetics and Contexts” (headed by Dr. Solveiga Daugirdaitė, 2022-2026).

 

In addition to the preparation and editing of literary sources, the researchers at the department also conduct individual research on the issues of the canon and biography of classical Lithuanian literature, the textual problems of the most significant works of Lithuanian literature and egodocuments, the creative contexts and intertexts of Lithuanian writers, and the religious and theological questions of modern Lithuanian poetry. The department pays a lot of attention to the dissemination of research results in public, schools and universities. Its staff organizes seminars, gives public lectures and talks, and participates in mass media.

 

Currently, seven researchers and two Ph.D. students work in the department.