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In the development of Lithuanian prose most significant are the early writings of A. Vienuolis, in which he had integrated the images of a human being and the environment into one pulsating flow, had revealed the intensive beauty and existential significance of the nature. His legends, short stories and the story "The Ward of Intelligentsia" belonged to this period of his creative work.
The first known works by A. Vienuolis are: the legends "The Eternal Violinist", and "The Charmed Monks". He had found his inspiration for these and other Caucasian legends in picturesque nature, folklore of Caucasian people, stories and tales about these nations and places that he had heard or read. A. Vienuolis has emerged himself in a fantastic world, used a different language rich, luxurious, mysterious. It seems that the legends are streaming with mysterious and sensual beauty. The legends by A. Vienuolis are written in romantic style, though many of his other early writings, especially stories, are strictly realistic, looking into the inner world and feelings of a person. A. Vienuolis was one of the first to develop the classical theme of the realism a conflict of a lonely person with the environment, society, and conventions (The Drowned).
A. Vienuolis was among the first who started to examine the problems of Lithuanian intelligentsia living far away from the native country. The important works on this issue are: "The Ward of Intelligentsia" (a story); "Had Returned", "The Last Place", "On the Overgrown Path", and other short stories.
