I woke up this morning to the news that a street had been named for Ona Šimaitė, the subject of my second book, Epistolophilia. Šimaitė was a librarian, a feminist, a deep thinker, an obsessive letter writer, and a Holocaust rescuer. She loved Vilnius and its people, books, libraries, churches, theatres and markets. No doubt, the knowledge that one of its streets now bears her name would have moved her deeply. She didn’t believe in riches (she was a hardcore leftist who didn’t even believe in owning property!), but she loved words and had a deep reverence for humane gestures like this one. I think she would have approved.
I thank all those who have worked quietly (or not so quietly) to have her honored this way. I can’t wait to walk the street myself.
Photo courtesy of Defending History. You can read more about the naming ceremony via this link.
This is wonderful!. I read Ms. Sukys’ Epistophilia a couple of years ago and was delighted to discover the courage and righteousness of Ms. Simaite. Obviously, naming streets for heros and those that serve humanity as opposed to those who wantonly pillage and kill is a step in the right direction. Ms.Sukys also deserves more than a little credit for illuminating the efforts of Ms. Simaite as well as those that assisted her in her humanitarian efforts.