Giedrė Kazlauskaitė

- Lithuania -

Giedrė Kazlauskaitė, born in 1980, studied Lithuanian language and literature at Vilnius University, where she tried writing a doctoral dissertation.

She won a prize for the best debut in the "Poetry Spring" Almanac in 2000. Her first book was prose Sudie, mokykla! (Bye-Bye, School!), her second book – poetry Heterų dainos (keturiasdešimt eilėraščių), Songs of Hetaeras (poems), 2008. She was awarded by “The Young Yotvingian prize” as a best young poet for this book in 2009.

Giedrė‘s third book, written together with Father Julius Sasnauskas, presents commentary on the gospels. Her fourth book – poetry: Meninos (Las Meninas). The book is chosen by competent Commission to Five best poetry books of 2014 in Book of the Year Campaign.

Since 2010, she was served as the editor of the weekly cultural periodical Šiaurės Atėnai (Athens of the North).


Giedrė Kazlauskaitė (b. 1980) has studied Lithuanian language and literature at Vilnius University. She is a PhD student of Lithuanian literature at the Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore.

 

Giedrė started her creative life from publishing to youth and children magazines in 2000. Giedrė’s first prose book Sudie, mokykla! (Bye-Bye, School!), was published in 2001 after she won a Writer’s Union possibility to publish her first book. We can find main themes in this book: her personal relationship with Good, secret of belief and paradoxes. There are many different experiences of young man, who looks for belief, God and virtues of life. This makes you to rethink your relationship with your friends, family and other people. Subtle irony is special for Giedrė’s texts in this book.

 

Giedrė participated in the Festival "Poetry Spring" and was awarded with prize for the best debut in Poetry Spring Almanac.

 

Giedrė starts to write essays for portal www.bernardinai.lt and cultural weekly "Šiaurės Atėnai" Also she prepares radio essays for a catholic radio broadcast "Mažoji studija" (Lithuanian Radio and Television) and book reviews and interviews with writers for Lithuanian Television (broadcasts "Kultūros naujienos", "Kultūra"). She becomes a literature critic with very original view. Later in 2006 she was awarded with J. KUNČINAS prize for the best text of optional readings (The award is given in the short prose reading festival "I have came to Friend, or Ginger Evenings", in remembrance of Lithuanian writer Jurgis Kunčinas, in Alytus).

 

She wrote poetry also but prose was her more visible side. She published her poetry in different Lithuanian cultural weekly and monthly magazines – "Nemunas", "Šiaurės Atėnai", "Metai". In 2002 her poetry was presented in Frankfurt book Fair in Almanac of Six young Lithuanian poets / Laurynas Katkus, Tomas S. Butkus, Marius Burokas, Jurgita Butkytė, Agnė Žagrakalytė, Giedrė Kazlauskaitė; selected and translated by Kerry Shawn Keys.

 

She read her poetry in Druskininkai Poetic Fall Festival in Readings by Young Lithuanian Poets and was awarded with poet’s Antanas A. Jonynas prize named "Pushkin" as the best young poet of the festival in 2007.

 

Giedrė publishes a second book "Heterų dainos (keturiasdešimt eilėraščių)", Songs by Heteras (forty poems) in 2008 and a new period begins in her creative life together with first published poetry book. Same year she was awarded for the best essay in the "Poetry Spring" Almanac. "The Young Yotvingian prize" comes to Giedrė as a best young poet for this book in Druskininkai Poetic Fall Festival in 2009.

 

Giedrė calls writing as an instinct – it’s something deep inside what you can’t change or refuse. Her poetry book is about women or maybe about some women inside her. Women in Giedrė’s poetry are lonely, distinctive members of some (bees’) community (Renata Šerelytė, "Šiaurės Atėnai"). Some of critics call Giedrė Kazlauskaitė feminine writer but she tells that she is allergic to ideologies, doctrines, and organizations and thinks that poetry can’t be feminine or masculine.

 

Giedrė‘s third book, written together with Father Julius Sasnauskas Postilės (Biblijos komentarai: kartu su Julium Sasnausku). Postils (Biblical commentaries, co-author Fr. Julius Sasnauskas) presents commentary on the gospels. This book came from her work in catholic radio broadcast "Mažoji studija". The book tries to explain truths of Bible, to "translate" them to human language.

 

Her fourth book and second poetry book "Meninos" (Las Meninas). The book was published in 2013 and it is chosen to five best poetry books of 2014 in Book of the Year Campaign. The book was awarded by Elena Mezginaitė Prize. It will be given during "Panevėžys Wnter" festival, in remembrance of writer Elena Mezginaitė.

 

The first and the last poems in this book are about poetry. It shows how inportant it is for poet. I write everything in language of poetry. All my experience and memories from childhood tells Giedrė.

 

Giedrė is an editor of the weekly cultural periodical Šiaurės Atėnai (Athens of the North) and she is a member of Writer’s Union since 2011.