Australian Lithuanians

A collection of translated memoirs, oral histories, and interviews, this is the first comprehensive history of Australian Lithuanians. In the 1940s, Australian officials searched war-ravaged Europe to select able-bodied, hardworking Lithuanian, Latvian, and Estonian refugees fleeing the Soviet regime to launch the Mass Migration Scheme. Examining how the Lithuanians integrated into mainstream life while leading a parallel existence in which they spoke their native language, celebrated their culture, and kept up with political developments in their homeland, this book demonstrates how they became a productive and thriving force within the greater Australian community.

Luda Popenhagen is a second-generation Australian Lithuanian versed in histories of post–WWII European migration. She is a scholar, a translator, a theatre artist, and a humanities professor at California State University–Channel Islands. She lives in Camarillo, California.