Ieva Dumbrytė is a debuting author who describes herself as someone who “had dreamt of studying Lithuanian philology but only managed to get accepted into history; had been wanting to publish a poetry book but, having printed a booklet with her poems, only distributed it among her neighbours. […] I am an unaccomplished author but also someone who has always lived beside a dream.”

       Šaltienos bistro (Meat Jelly Bistro). Vilnius: Kitos knygos, 2021. – 214 p. Croatian, Danish, English, French, Italian and Latvian sample translations available

“Blue Blood” (2016), a painting by Meda Norbutaitė used on the cover, suggests to the reader that the book is not about high-brow culture or high education, but rather about life – viewed ironically, sometimes grotesquely, and perhaps even anatomically meatily. The story begins with the voice of a nameless young man, who will remain nameless throughout the entire novel – it is his university graduation ceremony featuring somewhat lukewarm relationships with parents, just as anyone else’s, differences in expectations, reflections on life and history studies. And suddenly, there is a call to “Meat Jelly Bistro” Ltd. – having expected to work as a chef, on the very first day he ends up doing anything but that: “I was washing, carrying, peeling, boiling, broiling, grinding. And observing.” Observing is what makes the style and tone of the book so unique, filled with revelations about the food industry, ironic reflections on life, existential epi-crises, accurate portraits, and an in-depth characterization of golods – the new race.

Awards

2021: Meat Jelly Bistro awarded the Most Creative Book of the Year Prize (Lithuania)

Contact for rights: aira@kitosknygos.lt

Contact for samples & other inquiries: kotryna.pranckunaite@lithuanianculture.lt