{{Short description|Lithuanian activist, writer, educator (1851–1927)}} {{Infobox person | name = Matas Grigonis | image = Matas Grigonis (cropped).jpeg | image_size = 200px | caption = Grigonis in his youth | birth_date = {{birth date|1889|10|03|df=y}} | birth_place = Miškiniai, Panemunėlis, Russian Empire | death_date = {{death date and age|1971|01|07|1889|10|03|df=y}} | death_place = Vilnius, Lithuania | death_cause = | resting_place = Rokantiškės Cemetery | resting_place_coordinates = | monuments = | other_names = | alma_mater = Mitau Gymnasium (1900–1906), Vilnius Gymnasium (1906–1907) | occupation = | known_for = | spouse = | father = Dominykas Grigonis | mother = Julijona Bareišytė-Grigonienė | children = Matas Kastytis Grigonis | relatives = Pranciškus Grigonis (brother), Ignas Grigonis (brother) | awards = Officer's Cross of Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas (1928) | signature = }}
'''Matas Grigonis''' (also known in his pseudonyms: ''Svirno Žvynė'', ''Matas Gojelis'', ''Dile Matas''; 3 October 1889 – 7 January 1971) was a Lithuanian writer, educator, ethnographer, naturalist and is considered as one of the most active Lithuanian cultural figures of the early 20th century.<ref name="Anykstenai"/><ref name="GrigonisVle"/>
==Biography== Grigonis was born in Miškiniai village in a family of peasant farmers Dominykas Grigonis and Julijona Bareišytė-Grigonienė.<ref name="Anykstenai"/> He had two brothers Pranciškus and Ignas (died being just one year old).<ref name="Anykstenai">{{cite web |title=Matas Grigonis |url=https://www.anykstenai.lt/asmenys/asm.php?id=741 |website=Anykstenai.lt |access-date=10 November 2025 |language=lt}}</ref> His mother died early when he was just one year old and in 1893 his father married for a second time, thus he grew up with his stepmother.<ref name="Anykstenai"/><ref name="Pilkauskas">{{cite web |last1=Pilkauskas |first1=Donatas |title=Rašytojas, gyvenimą atidavęs lietuviškai mokyklai |url=https://www.respublika.lt/lt/naujienos/kultura/portretai/rasytojas-gyvenima-atidaves-lietuviskai-mokyklai/ |website=Respublika |access-date=10 November 2025 |language=lt |date=4 January 2023}}</ref>
In 1897–1900, Grigonis studied at Rokiškis Elementary School.<ref>{{cite book |title=Matas Grigonis |url=https://www.rokiskis.rvb.lt/uploads/IKELIAMI_DOKUMENTAI/Krastotyra/Krastieciai/G/Grigonis_Mantas.pdf |publisher=Rokiškio rajono savivaldybės Juozo Keliuočio viešoji biblioteka |access-date=10 November 2025 |language=lt}}</ref> Subsequently, Grigonis studied at the Mitau Gymnasium in 1900–1906 and the Vilnius Gymnasium in 1906–1907.<ref name="Anykstenai"/><ref name="GrigonisVle">{{cite web |last1=Striogaitė |first1=Dalia |title=Matas Grigonis |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/matas-grigonis/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=10 November 2025 |language=lt}}</ref> He gained a qualification of the Lithuanian language teacher and has written tens of Lithuanian books for children, while his collection of poems ''Kvietkelis'' is the first Lithuanian children's poetry book, which was published in 1913.<ref name="Anykstenai"/><ref name="GrigonisVle"/><ref name="Pilkauskas"/><ref name="Jalianiauskiene">{{cite web |last1=Jalianiauskienė |first1=Vitalija |title=Atlikęs pareigą švietėjo |url=https://sekunde.lt/leidinys/sekunde/atlikes-pareiga-svietejo/ |website=Sekunde.lt |access-date=10 November 2025 |language=lt |date=21 March 2021}}</ref><ref name="GRokiskis">{{cite web |last1=Minkevičienė |first1=Aldona |title=Panemunėlio valsčiaus įžymybė – Matas Grigonis, pirmosios lietuviškos vaikų poezijos knygos "Kvietkelis" autorius |url=https://grokiskis.lt/kalbame-strazdelio-kalba/panemunelio-valsciaus-izymybe-matas-grigonis-pirmosios-lietuviskos-vaiku-poezijos-knygos-kvietkelis-autorius-3 |website=Gimtasis Rokiškis |access-date=10 November 2025 |language=lt |date=6 June 2016}}</ref>
[[File:Juozas Zikaras creating a bust of Matas Grigonis in Panevėžys in 1925.jpg|thumb|left|Juozas Zikaras creating a bust of Grigonis in Panevėžys in 1925]] Since 1907–1909 for many years (with breaks) Grigonis lived and taught in Panevėžys and actively contributed to its cultural and educational life.<ref name="Anykstenai"/><ref name="GrigonisVle"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Matas Grigonis |url=https://paneveziokrastas.pavb.lt/objektai-faktai-zmones/panevezio-veido-delione/amzininku-atsiminimai-apie-panevezi/matas-grigonis-xx-a-pr/ |website=Paneveziokrastas.pavb.lt |date=3 September 2018 |access-date=10 November 2025 |language=lt}}</ref><ref name="Jalianiauskiene"/> He also visited Rokiškis to participate in Lithuanian events.<ref name="Anykstenai"/> Moreover, Grigonis since 1908 actively participated in the Lithuanian periodical press where his works were printed titled with his pseudonyms.<ref name="Anykstenai"/><ref name="GRokiskis"/>
During the World War I in 1915 he departed deeper to the territory of the Russian Empire (e.g. lived in Kineshma, Voronezh, Yaroslavl) where he worked as a teacher of the Lithuanian language and literature (e.g. for Lithuanian war refugees).<ref name="Anykstenai"/>
In the summer of 1918 Grigonis returned to Lithuania and once again worked in the education sphere in Panevėžys.<ref name="Anykstenai"/> Furthermore, in the interwar period he closely interacted with Lithuanian intellectuals, writers Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas, Antanas Vienuolis, Bronė Buivydaitė, etc.<ref name="Anykstenai"/> In 1928, he was awarded with the Officer's Cross of Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas.<ref name="GrigonisVle"/>
After the World War II Grigonis stayed in the Soviet occupied Lithuania and since 1948 specialized in plant breeding.<ref name="Anykstenai"/> Since 1957 his health significantly deteriorated and he stopped participating in plant breeding.<ref name="Anykstenai"/>
Since 1965 Grigonis lived in Lithuania's capital city Vilnius in his son Matas Kastytis Grigonis' home and lost his sight in the late years.<ref name="Anykstenai"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Matas Grigonis (1889-1971) |url=https://panrbiblioteka.lt/dalykas-57/zymus-krastieciai/matas-grigonis-1889-1971/ |website=Panevėžio rajono biblioteka |access-date=10 November 2025 |language=lt}}</ref>
Grigonis died on January 7, 1971 in Vilnius and was buried in the Rokantiškės Cemetery in Vilnius.<ref name="Anykstenai"/><ref name="GrigonisVle"/>
==References== {{reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Grigonis, Matas}} Category:1889 births Category:1971 deaths Category:People from Rokiškis District Municipality Category:20th-century Lithuanian poets Category:20th-century Lithuanian educators Category:Linguists from Lithuania Category:Recipients of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas