Photo by Monika Požerskytė

Sigitas Parulskis (b. 1965) is one of the most important figures in contemporary Lithuanian literature. He made his debut as a poet in 1990 with the collection of poems Iš ilgesio visa tai (All That is Due to Longing). In 2002, his collection of essays Nuogi drabužiai (Naked Clothes) and an autobiographical novel Trys sekundės dangaus (Three Seconds of Heaven) were published to great acclaim. Parulskis has written a number of plays – his collaboration with theatre director Oskaras Koršunovas has been particularly productive. In 2004, Parulskis received the National Prize for literature. Works by Parulskis have been translated into Russian, English, Latvian, Finnish, Polish, Czech, French, German, Swedish, Greek, Italian and Hungarian as well as other languages.  

Parulskis’s poetry can be described as confessional or autobiographical. His poems explore topics such as serving in the Soviet army, traumatic family relationships, divorce, parenthood, and alcoholism. On the other hand, these experiences are usually revealed by employing the intertexts of literature and art, and allusions to the Bible and mythology. For example, a father/son relationship drama is unravelled through Christian symbolism. A recurring motif in Parulskis’s poetry is the act of a father sacrificing a son in the manner of God or Abraham. Filicide is committed against one’s will – it is destiny, a cultural curse, just like the son’s constant fantasies about patricide.  

Parulskis’s poetry written in the 90’s introduces an apocalyptic, hostile, even absurd world. It indulges in baroque metaphors (e.g. the sweat of the soul). A turning point is represented by the collection called Pagyvenusio vyro pagundos (Temptations of an Elderly Man, 2009). Here, as well as in his latest poems, Parulskis uses cultural allusions and drama. Ageing, male sexuality, relationships with women, and memory become the central themes. Light irony, and even humour, become more prominent. 

Selected translations

English: The Towers Turn Red. Translated by Liz O’Donoghue, Laima Sruoginis. Ireland: Southword editions, 2005

Sigitas Parulskis: poems. Translated by Laima Sruoginis. Klaipėda: Klaipėda House of Artists, 2002

Italian: Trenodie senza coro. Translated by Pietro U. Dini. Novi Ligure: Joker, 2021

Swedish: En hund av marmor. Translated by Mikael Nydahl, Liana Ruokytė, Gunnar Wærness, Carina Nynäs, Anna Harrison. Lund: Ariel, 2005

Mortui sepulti sint. Translated by Anna Harrison, Mikael Nydahl, Carina Nynäs, Liana Ruokytė. Lund: Ariel, 2002

Translations on-line: www.lyrikline.org/en/authors/sigitas-parulskis