Apolonija Dalevskytė-Sierakauskienė. Memoirs

Description

The memoirs were written by an extraordinary woman who became a symbol of love, loyalty and patriotism. The family of Apolonija Dalevskytė-Sierakauskienė (1838-1918) was famous for its unrelenting struggle for independence. The author talks about the founders of the Lithuanian Youth Fraternity, brothers Aleksandras and Pranciškis Dalevskis. Pranciškus and Titas Dalevskis belonged to the underground government of the 1863-1864 uprising. Konstantinas Dalevskis was a comrade of Zygmantas Sierakauskas and took part in the defence of Paris in 1871. His mother and six sisters were exiled for their patriotic activities.

An important part of the memoirs is the story of the 1863-1864 uprising and its leader Zigmantas Sierakauskas. The author refutes what she considers to be an erroneous assessment of Sierakauskas' activities, as presented by Jokūbas Geištoras in his memoirs. The poignant account of the love story between Apolonija and Zigmantas lifts the curtain on the private life of the rebel leader.

The memoirs are a monument to her loved ones. The author depicts great personalities who are immensely devoted to their homeland, selfless, impeccable, honest, and always ready to sacrifice. And she herself looks like a work of the romantic imagination. She considers her family's past to be her greatest treasure, inseparable from the fate of Lithuania and Poland.