Kazys Binkis - Biography

Biography

Kazys Binkis was born on November 4, 1893 in the village of Gudeliai in the district of Biržai. He attended the primary school at Papilys (finished it in 1908), studied at the Saulė (The Sun) courses for teachers and at Biržai progymnasium. In 1910 he entered school of agriculture in Voronec (near Švenčionys), but for the lack of funds moved to Vilnius in 1913 and began to prepare himself privately for maturity examinations. Since 1909 K.Binkis began to publish scenes in prose and verses in Viltis (The Hope), Vaivorykštė (The Rainbow), and Pirmasis baras (The First Field). In 1915 he graduated from the teachers' courses of the Lithuanian Committee in Vilnius and became a teacher at Papilys. In 1918 Binkis was elected a chairman of the Biržai District Council. In 1919 he was appointed a secretary of editorial board of the journal Liepsna (The Flame) in Vilnius. In the same year he moved to Kaunas. There he worked at the press bureau, volunteered to the Geležinis Vilkas (The Iron Wolf) regiment and participated in concerts. In 1920-1923 he studied, with interruptions, literature and philosophy at Berlin University. At the same time he took part in the literary movement Keturi vėjai (The Four Winds), being the leader of the budding Lithuanian futurism (1922-1928).

He made his living from the literary work. In 1922, together with other authors, he published an almanac The Prophet of the Four Winds; in 1924 he organized a journal Keturi vėjai. He arranged the anthologies of Lithuanian folk poetry and songs. He also worked at the Society of Lithuanian Writers, for some years was a member of its board, participated in the edition of Literatūros naujienos (The News of Literature) and worked as a journalist.

Binkis died on April 27, 1942 in Kaunas', and is buried at Petrašiūnai Cemetery.