Karolina Proniewska

She wrote her original works exclusively in Polish[4] and her poetry published in a single tome Piosneczki (Songs, 1858) initially gained much popularity.

[11] As a girl she suffered from tuberculosis, and her eldest brother forbade her to read any books or write poetry, which he supposed would harm her already poor health.

[12] Although her published original works were written in the Polish language, with time she also made several translations of Polish-language classics into Lithuanian.

[14] In 1855, through her sister Tekla, she met Antanas Baranauskas, a young poet then working as a clerk at the nearby farm in Seda.

Her brother Otton helped Baranauskas pass his entrance examinations into the Catholic school in Varniai, one of the few venues then open to a member of the lower social strata for attaining an education in 19th century Russia.

[5] Her exact burial place is unknown, but an oak commemorative sculpture at the Utena cemetery bears her name,[19] as does the Telšiai Public Library.