Recent Publications of Lithuanian Karaims

In spite of numerous obstacles of a linguistic, economic and political nature, the Karaims in Lithuania have been able to produce the following publications during the six years of their national renaissance:
  1. Karaim‰u etnografin“e paroda ­ Karaimskaja “etnografixeskaja vystavka, text by Juozas Vercinkevi¸cius and Romualdas Firkovi¸cius. An illustrated prospectus on the Karaim Museum in Trakai in Lithuanian and Russian. Vilnius, "Minties", Vilnius 1989.
  2. Karaj jyrlary. Itchtyrdy da bastyrmahka anyhlady M. I. Firkovich ('Karaim poems', collected and edited by M. I. Firkovi¸c), publ. by LLitovskij fond kul'tury, Obshchestvo karaimskoj kultury ­ Lietuvos kultüros fondas, Karaim‰u kultüros bendirija ­ Karaj birligi. An anthology of the secular Karaim poetry written in the Trakai dialect by S.A. Kobecki (1865-1933), M.I. Pilecki ­ M. Ahba¸s (1874-1938), Ja.F. Malecki (1889-1952), S.A. Firkovi¸c (1897-1982), ¯S.J. Lopato (1904-1923), Z.S. Firkovi¸c (1906-1958), S.A. Kobeckas (1911-1985) and M.S. Tinfovi¸c (1912-1974), ancient poems, some anonymous, ("Eski jyrlar") from the 16th-19th centuries are also included in the book; the poems are printed in Cyrillic characters. Each poet is introduced briefly in Lithuanian and Russian; postscript by Halina Kobeckait“e in Karaim, Lithuanian, Russian, and English. Vil'njus, 1989. 215 p.
  3. M. Tinfovi¸c, Irlar (Stihi). Karaim poems written by M. S. Tinfovi¸c (1912 Panev“e¸zys ­ 1974 Trakai) in Latin characters, with an introduction and Russian translations. The booklet is a reprint of the article "Karaimskij po“et Mihail Tinfovich (1912-1974) i ego tvorchestvo" by Vlodzimezh Zajonchkovski, published in Rocznik Orientalistyczny, t. xlii, 2 (1982), pp. 35-64. Troch 1989.
  4. Romualdas Firkovi¸cius, "Lietuvos karaim‰u rankra¸s¸ciai" ('Karaim manuscripts in Lithuania'), Orientas, '1 (Vilnius 1991), pp. 228-235.
  5. Karaj kalendary 4.IV.1992 - 23.III.1993 ­ Karaj kalendary 1992 - 2000 jyllaryna. A leaflet (compiled by Mikhael Firkovi¸c) which on the obverse offers a complete Karaim calendar for the period 4.4.1992 - 23.3.1993 and on the reverse indicates the dates of the Karaite holidays in 1992 - 2000 (a copy can bee seen in El-Kodsi 1993, pp. 46-47). Previously, a similar calendar was compiled for the years 1984 - 1992.
  6. Karina Firkavi¸ciüt“e, "I¸s karaim‰u apeigin“es tautosakos" ('On the ritual folklore of the Karaims'). Four songs recorded in 1978, in transcription in Karaim with a translation into Lithuanian and with the melodies. Tautosakos darbai - Folklore Studies, I (VIII), Vilnius, "Academia", 1992, pp. 239-248.
  7. Karaj koltchalary ('Prayers of the Karaims'). Karaim‰u maldos. ¯Ciopliadi dahy jarychka ¸cyhardy Mykolas Firkovi¸cius ('Collected and published by Mykolas Firkovi¸cius'). [Publ. by] Tautybi‰u departamentas prie Lietuvos Respublikos Vyriausyb“es, Lietuvos kultüros fondas, Karaim‰u kultüros bendirija. A collection of Karaim occasional prayers, an enlarged edition of Koltchalar - Krótkie modlitwy karaimskie published (in Karaim and Polish) by ullu hazzan Szymon Firkowicz in Vilnius in 1935 (32 p.). With a short summary in Lithuanian and English by Mykolas Firkovi¸cius. Vilnius, 1993. 128 p.
  8. Kip¸ciak‰u tiurk‰u Orientas Lietuvoje: istorija ir tyrim‰u perspektyva ("Kipchak-Turkic Orient in Lithuania: History and Prospects for Further Investigations'). [Publ. by] Tautybi‰u departamentas prie Lietuvos Respublikos Vyriausyb“es, Lietuvos karaim‰u kultüros bendirija, Lietuvos totori‰u kultüros dragija. A prayer in Karaim for the reconsecration of Vilnius kenesa on 14.10. 1993 by M. Firkovi¸cius and the papers read at the international conference in honour of the 90th birthday of Prof. Ananiasz Zaj‰aczkowski held in Vilnius on 14-15 October 1993 (in Turkish, Lithuanian, Polish, English, Russian with summaries in English; principally on the scholarly activities of Prof. A. Zaj‰aczkowski and the history of Karaims and Tatars). Sudar“e [Ed. by] Tamara Baira¸sauskait“e - Halina Kobeckait“e. Vilnius, "Danielius", 1994. 175 p.
  9. David' Bijni©n Machtav ¯Cozmachlary ('The Praise Songs of King David'). Psalm“es. A translation of the Book of Psalms based on a Karaim manuscript from the 18th-19th century, with a word for the reader in Karaim, Lithuanian, Russian and English, [ed.] by M. Firkovi¸cius. [Publ. by] Tautybi‰u departamentas prie Lietuvos Respublikos Vyriausyb“es, Lietuvos karaim‰u kultüros bendirija. Vilnius, "Danielius", 1994. 175 p.
  10. Numerous articles in local newspapers (e.g. Kurier Wile©nski) in Lithuanian, Polish and Russian.
  11. Forthcoming: A study book of the Karaim language composed by Mykolas Firkovi¸cius. Vilnius 1995.
  12. Alexandr Dubi©nski, Caraimica - Prace karaimoznawcze (on the 70th anniversary of Prof. Dubi©nski's birth, a collection of his 27 articles dealing with Karaim studies in Polish, Turkish, Russian and German, with a biography and bibliography of his publications), although published in Warsaw (Wydawnictwo Academickie "Dialog", 1994, 288+16 pp.), constitutes an organic part of this bibliography; by birth Prof. Dubi©nski is a Karaite from Troki (Trakai).
Tapani Harviainen

© The author and Nordic Society for Middle Eastern Studies. Archived 9.11.95