Visiting the Sculpture

Palanga, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1964. My Kaunas Cousin sits next to the famous sculpture of Jūratė ir Kastytis.

Foreign Press

Although I wasn't crazy about reading when I was a child, I sometimes didn't mind it when people read *to* me. I definitely enjoyed receiving beautiful books. 

Relatives living in the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic occasionally mailed lovely books printed in the Soviet Union. These books were made for foreign distribution—locals could buy them only to send overseas. The books also were products of the Cold War. Whether written in Lithuanian or English, the parables exported a message the Soviets wanted American children to hear.

These are some of my favorites printed by the "Government Foreign Distribution Printing House."

Pushkin's nineteenth-century fairy tale warns about the dangers of materialism.

The back of the book features the logo of the golden fish. 

Let's take a closer look, a look past that fish. 

 You see, little child? The fisherman's wife started to act like a Tsaritsa!

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It's Cinderella!!

The artwork on the cover and first page point to a happy ending.

But the story opens with the image of the decadent aristocracy. Not only were they repugnant; they all behaved the same way.

The Silver Coin.

 
It looks biblical!

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"The titular little horse helps Ivan, a peasant’s son, carry out the many unreasonable demands of the tsar … [During the tsarist era,] [c]ensors banned the complete story for over 20 years in the mid-19th century because it made the Tsar appear foolish. Until 1856, the tale was published with dots representing omitted verses and songs in many sections. The tale is meant to be a satire on the absurdities of Russian feudal and bureaucratic life at the time."

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It's the traditional favorite, Jūratė ir Kastytis.

Cost: three rubles.

Jūratė and Kastytis

The Lithuanian folk legend about "Jūratė ir Kastytis" is as famous as the story of "Eglė žalčių karalienė." A landmark statute of Jūratė and Kastytis stands in a square in the city of Palanga.

Like the sculpture of Eglė, Queen of the Grass Snakes, this monument is another celebrated spot for picture-taking.

Palanga, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, August 10, 1967. My Mom's maternal aunt, Dora, touches the sculpture. Dora writes,"Here I am next to the sculpture, 'Jūratė ir Kastytis,' which stands on the sunset walkway leading to the sea bridge in Palanga."