Only about a hundred years old, the dystopian novel is one of the newest forms of narrative in Western literature. This genre’s writers boldly predict a future that, as both the narrator and the reader would wish, would be better unrealized. The dystopian novel thus speaks of an undesirable future reality. For centuries, the mimetic
Fantasizing the World Read More »
Laima Vincė: Tell me about your Lithuanian heritage? Milda De Voe: I was born to Lithuanian parents, both of whom were born in Lithuania. My mother was born near the border with Latvia in a tiny town called Skaistgirys near the border of Latvia to the Viliunas-Tijunėlis family and my father was born in Kaunas.
Milda De Voe: There is no weirdness New York cannot absorb Read More »
*** close your eyes for a moment! orderlies rush forward and silver bugles shine in their hands *** The crowd was laughing, mad, and joyous – The savior’s ship, surrounded by sirens, emerged from the mists, It draws near as the crowd becomes silent, whispering angrily – Sindbad has brought a new illness
Auris Radzevičius-Radzius Read More »
In the Lithuanian cultural scene, Auris Radzevičius-Radzius (1965–2019) is known first as a visual artist and only then as a writer. During his life Radzevičius published just the one poetry book titled Ornamentas vietoj laivo (Ornament Instead of a Ship, 1990) as part of the Lithuanian Writers’ Union’s First Book series. Over time, it became
Corpses and Flowers Read More »
Dovilė Bagdonaitė made her debut with the collection of poems Mėlynojo banginio širdis (The Heart of the Blue Whale) after winning the First Book competition organized by the Lithuanian Writers’ Union. I was curious to see how her literary career would develop further: when I was reading her first book, I felt that Bagdonaitė had
Poem-chameleons, cross-sections of nature and art, and queer experiences Read More »
Academic Drawing Remember how that happened in our drawing class? We don’t greet the teacher anymore, even though his dog was beautiful. It was a boycott from both sides. In front of the scribbled walls we conspired, sitting on the windowsills, gazing across the street toward the exhibition hall – people live out there while we sweat
The Immolation of a Bull (excerpt) I implore you to ponder on how terrible it is not to know God, what perdition for a soul heathendom spells out, and how the evil spirit is constantly raving and inciting new heathen mania and delusions. M. Mažvydas PART ONE The twinkling of leaves, the twinkling of
Romualdas Granauskas (1939–2014) Read More »
Laima Vincė: Tell me about your Lithuanian heritage? Ken Ilgunas: I know almost nothing about it. All I have is this goofy name—a name that’s normal in Lithuania, but goofy in North America. All we knew, and we do have this Scottish guy in my family who does the family tree work, is that my
Ken Ilgūnas: “Out of the Wild” Read More »
I can’t remember a time when I didn’t see translation as a matter of course. Whenever I read something and decisively thought it was good, I just knew it had to be translated. Other people need to read this. An instant response, an urgency to share. There are many reasons for this, I suppose. A reader’s
Born in the scenic northeastern countryside of Lithuania, Antanas Miškinis studied literature at the University of Kaunas, graduating in l935. Between 1932 and 1945, which included the periods of the Russian, German, and again Russian occupation, he worked as a high-school teacher and a program editor at the Lithuanian Broadcasting Station in Kaunas. In the
Antanas Miškinis (1905 – 1983) Read More »
