Today it is Celticlady's Reviews pleasure to welcome M.J.Neary, author of her
Thank you, Kathleen for hosting me and giving me an opportunity to share some obscure history and the inspiration behind my latest novel "The Gate of Dawn". I wanted to take a moment to discuss the historical backdrop.
The Gate of Dawn is a famous landmark in Vilnius, a city gate built in the first half of the 16th century with a chapel above it. Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn is a sacred pilgrimage spot for Christians of all denominations. The novel is set in 1880s, when Vilnius was under the regime of the Czar as part of the Russian Empire. But the city had seen better days. Before the Russian empire, there was another great civilization known as the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Many of the 19th century nationalists were nostalgic for that era. Even after the nation was partitioned and stopped existing as an entity, many 19th century authors and musicians claimed that "Polish-Lithuanian identity".
A forgotten civilization
With the Tudors constantly being in the spotlight, there aren't many historical novels set in Central Europe. Nobody really talks about a once glorious and influential civilization known as the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, or Republic of Both Nations, spanning a nice chunk of Central Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. Politically, it was a dualistic state, a bi-confederation of Pland and Lithuania, ruled by a common monarch, who was both the King of Poland and the grand duke of Lithuania.
Ethnic diversity
The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was a multi-ethnic nation composed of various groups that inhabited that area: Poles, Germans, Lithuanians, Jews, Swedes. It was a melting pot of Slavic, Germanic, Baltic, Nordic and Judaic influences. The diversity is very apparent in the clothing, the food, the music.
Religious tolerance
The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was a multi-ethnic nation with many religious groups represented: Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox, Jews and even Muslims. It was a relatively tolerant and safe place to be. While Western Europe was engulfed in the Catholic-Protestant conflict, Central/Eastern Europe was a safe have for "heretics". Individuals and groups that were considered extremist in their home countries, often sought refuge in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The nobles of the Commonwealth were so horrified by what happened in France during St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre in 1572 that they were compelled to put a protocol in place that would prevent their own monarch from allowing something similar.
Cultural inequality
Even though the nation was called Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the indigenous Lithuanian culture was grossly underrepresented. Polish was the dominant recognized language. All official documents were written in Polish. Other languages were also officially recognized, such as Ruthenian (the Slavonic stem language for Ukrainian and Belarusian), German, French and Yiddish. Interestingly enough, Lithuanian language was not recognized as official. It was spoken, but there were very few official documents written in it. Lithuanian nobles willingly became "Polonized" and accepted Polish as the official language.
In this particular painting depicting the January Uprising of 1863, Poland is depicted as the pale dark-haired woman. Lithuania is the blonde woman behind her. The painting confirms Lithuania's secondary status.
Fast forward to 1880s
The novel is set during the rule of Czar Alexander III, a staunch Russification activist. In simple terms, he did not believe in diversity and ethnic equality or religious tolerance. He pushed the idea that Russian language was superior, as was the Orthodox faith. He believed that people who spoke one language and adhered to the same religious beliefs were easier to control. Who can argue with that?
About the Book
Welcome to 1880s Vilnius, a volatile Northeastern metropolis where Balts, Germans, Poles, Russians, and Jews compete for a place in the sun. After sustaining fatal burns in a fire instigated by his rivals, textile magnate Hermann Lichtner spends his final days in a shabby infirmary. In a hasty and bizarre deathbed transaction he gives his fifteen-year-old daughter Renate in marriage to Thaddeus, a widowed Polish farmer who rejects social hierarchy and toils side by side with his peasants.
Renate’s arrival quickly disrupts the bucolic flow of life and antagonizes every member of the household. During an excursion to the city, Renate rekindles an affair with a young Jewish painter who sells his watercolors outside the Gate of Dawn chapel. While her despairing husband might look the other way, his servants will not stand by and watch while their adored master is humiliated.
Taking us from the cobblestone streets of old Vilnius, swarming with imperial gendarmes, to the misty bogs of rural Lithuania where pagan deities still rule, The Gate of Dawn is a folkloric tale of rivalry, conspiracy, and revenge.
About M.J.Neary
A Chernobyl survivor adopted into the world of Anglo-Irish politics, Marina Julia Neary has dedicated her literary career to depicting military and social disasters, from the Charge of the Light Brigade to the Easter Rising in Dublin.
Her mission is to tell untold stories, find hidden gems and illuminate the prematurely extinguished stars in history. She explores human suffering through the prism of dark humor, believing that tragedy and comedy go hand in hand.
Her debut novel Wynfield's Kingdom: a Tale of London Slums appeared on the cover of the First Edition Magazine in the UK and earned the praise of the Neo-Victorian Studies Journal. With the centennial of the Easter Rising approaching, she has written a series of novels exploring the hidden conflicts within the revolutionary ranks.
http://ctcommie.blogspot.com/
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https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3147523.Marina_Julia_Neary
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