Jurga Šalaševičiūtė (b. 1979) writes under the pen name of Rebeka Una. Writing is a hobby for her, an expensive hobby. She has dreamed of acting and creating since childhood. She graduated in English philology and has been working in schools, as well as teaching English privately to children and adults. She burst into the literary world after her book was selected as one of the three winners of the Young Adult literary competition organised by Alma littera publishing house. Her debut dystopian novel Atjunk (Disconnect) achieved great success and received the acclaim of both readers and literary critics. Competitions and awards bring joy and confidence. “It’s like a confirmation that what you have been creating in solitude seems valuable to others, too.” She made a deliberate decision to write only for children and young adults and is determined to spread the light. Back in childhood, she promised herself that her creative works will contain hope, light and the joy of life. “Life is sad enough as it is. A writer shouldn’t depress people further.” 

Atjunk (Disconnect), Vilnius: Alma littera, 2016, – 269 pp.

The book Disconnect is a dystopian novel that focuses on the disintegration of human senses and relationships. It portrays a near future where people are no longer allowed to communicate with each other face-to-face but only via notebooks – a tool and a new god of virtual reality. The main character, the soon-to-be 15-year-old Gryta, feels imperfect and unable to adapt to this sterile society, which is devoid of feelings and human senses. She is unable to quench her desire for jogging, kissing, reading old books and face-to-face encounters, all of which have now become illegal. Both her mother and her teacher ask her to attend therapy and change to become a new human being. One day, while jogging in a stadium, Gryta meets a young man, Mantas, who is very much like her – someone who wants to escape and become free like his ancestors once were. However, the virtual system has thought of a new way to control humans. Will Gryta and Mantas be able to escape and what price will the two have to pay? 

Selected translations

Russian: Отключай. Translated by Alexandra Vasilkova. Moscow: Samokat, 2019