Mindaugas Jonas Urbonas (born 1989) has been touted as one of the most interesting young writers. Both his debut short story collection and his novel, which appeared within a year of each other, attracted quite a lot of attention and won some awards. While the two books are very much different in style and literary techniques – the short stories decidedly traditional and lyrical, the novel much more extravagant and postmodernist – they both contain multiple nods and tributes to the great names in Lithuanian and occasionally Western literature: it seems like the author is very consciously looking for his own place among them. He seems to have gotten it out of his system by the third book, whose influences and intertexts appear less obvious and direct. 

Žudant Dzeusą (Killing Zeus). Vilnius: Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2020, – 336 p. 

The story combines climate change and father wound, writing and madness, greed and indifference. The main character lives near the Arctic, where remains of an ancient civilization emerge from underneath the melting permafrost. He becomes fascinated with it, but seems to be the only one, as everyone else is mired in mundane concerns of their lives. Such rejection brings up memories of his difficult childhood and poor relationship with his father. He starts writing the story of the giant civilization, which is also the story of his life. It is a sad and depressing book, but also thoughtful and intellectual. 

Contact for inquiries: kotryna.pranckunaite@lithuanianculture.lt