Vanda Zaborskaite

Vanda Zaborskaitė (1922–2010) was born in Vaiškai, Biržai-Pasvalys County. In 1941, she graduated from Panevėžys Gymnasium. From 1941 to 1946, Zaborskaitė studied Lithuanian language and literature at the Department of Philology of the Faculty of History and Philology of Vilnius University. From 1947 to 1950, she completed her postgraduate studies at the LSSR Academy of Sciences. From 1950 to 1961, Zaborskaitė taught ancient Lithuanian literature, including the history of Lithuanian literature, an introduction to literature, and literary theory; she headed the students’ scientific club researching the history of Lithuanian literature and was a member of the Society for the Dissemination of Political and Scientific Knowledge at Vilnius University. Pursuant to Order No. 178/K of 20 September 1961 of the Rector of Vilnius University, Zaborskaitė was dismissed from her position as a lecturer because she failed the competition (as her views did not reflect the Marxist ideology). Her character reference letter says: “The lectures and seminars of Vanda Zaborskaitė were full of evident unjustifiable indulgence to the bourgeois ideology in the Lithuanian literary legacy [...] without providing a detailed Marxist assessment of these phenomena.” For more on the reasons for her dismissal, see the biography of Irena Kostkevičiūtė.
From 1962 to 1971, Zaborskaitė worked at the Institute of History. From 1971 to 1994, she taught at Vilnius Pedagogical University (until 1992, it was referred to as “Vilnius Pedagogical Institute”). As of 1990, Zaborskaitė was a corresponding member of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. After the restoration of independence, she became involved in educational reforms and headed the Department of Educational Curriculum of the Ministry of Culture and Education.

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