LITHUANIA: EVENTS AT THE LONDON BOOK FAIR 2018
10th April Tuesday
Pushing the limits of Graphic Stories: Spotlight on the Pop Up Creators Project
10:00 – 11:00, Children’s Hub
Speakers: Lina Dūdaitė, Simona Jurčiukonytė (Lithuania), Ulla Saar, Anna Pikkov (Estonia), Oskars Pavlovskis, Sanita Muižniece (Latvia), Will Grill (UK). Chaired by Bhavit Mehta (UK).
Pop Up Creators is an international exchange of outstanding and emerging illustrators and comics artists across the Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the UK, produced by Pop Up Projects. Join a panel of artists, mentors, tutors and publishers from across this exciting project discuss their experience of the process and the main outcomes from it. We ask whether their experimentation with text, image, language and layout in the leporello format has helped think ‘outside the box’ and move away from traditional forms of illustration.
Lost histories unearthed – revisiting the forgotten tragedies of Lithuania and Eastern Europe
10:00 to 11:00, The Cross-Cultural Hub
Speakers: Alvydas Šlepikas (Lithuania), Juliet Mabey (UK); Meike Ziervogel (UK). Chared by Rosie Goldsmith (UK)
Lithuanian authors have increasingly revisited forgotten episodes from twentieth century history, including deportations to camps in Siberia and the stories of German refugees during World War II. Why is it important to write and publish stories that help familiarize readers with the forgotten tragedies of Eastern Europe? And what is the significance of such stories in light of today’s refugee crisis? In 2018 and 2019, two outstanding pieces of survival literature will be published in the United Kingdom: In the Shadow of Wolves (Oneworld), the stunning debut novel by Alvydas Šlepikas exploring the story of the ‘wolf children’ – German children who sought refuge in Lithuania in the aftermath of World War II; and Shadows on the Tundra (Peirene Press), the extraordinary memoir by Dalia Grinkevičiūtė – a testimony to her family’s deportation to the Siberian gulag, originally written on scraps of paper and buried for safekeeping and rediscovered only four years after her death.
Get connected to Baltic books! Publishing markets in the Baltic countries: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania. A general overview of the publishing industry
13:00 – 14:00, The Cross-Cultural Hub
Speakers: Aida V. Dobkevičiūtė (Lithuania), Tauno Vahter (Estonia), Renate Punka (Latvia). Chaired by Simon Littlewood (UK)
When looking on the region, a usual question for an outsider is whether you can consider the Baltics as one market, or whether there are three separate markets.
As there are 1.1 million Estonians, 1.3 million Latvians, and 2.8 million Lithuanians, there is just a little more than 5.2 million people that read, write, and think Baltic. The book market in each of the countries has been formed by specific factors, including the traditions of particular genres, consumer trends of target groups, and the financial support mechanisms guaranteed in each country.
Come and learn about Baltic book markets.
A dialogue between poets: Baltic and UK poets explore memory and history
with Maarja Kangro, Kārlis Vērdiņš, Tomas Venclova and Nick Makoha; chaired by Ellen Hinsey
13:00 – 14:00, Poets’ Corner
Maarja Kangro (Estonia) has published five collections of poetry, revolving around themes of ephemerality, desire, and redemption. Kārlis Vērdiņš (Latvia) is the author of six collections of poetry for adults and children, containing work that is gentle, vivid and intimate as it explores ideas of coming to terms with one’s self. Tomas Venclova (Lithuania) is Professor Emeritus of Slavonic Literature at Yale University, and his poems have been translated into many languages. They will discuss the political and aesthetic dimension of memory and history alongside British poets and chaired by Ellen Hinsey.
OPENING OF THE LONDON BOOK FAIR 2018 MARKET FOCUS BALTIC COUNTRIES PAVILION
14:30, Theatre 3D40
Versopolis presents
16:00-17:00, Poets’ Corner
Participants:
Aušra Kaziliūnaitė (Lithuania)
Marius Burokas (Lithuania)
Sasha Dugdale (UK)
Hannah Lowe (UK)
Host: SJ Fowler (UK)
Versopolis poetry platform and review presents a chance to see some of Europe’s finest contemporary poets, representing the Book Fair’s country-in-focus, Lithuania, alongside the UK. Sasha Dugdale, Hannah Lowe, Aušra Kaziliūnaitė and Marius Burokas have built international reputations around their remarkable poetry and in this event, curated by SJ Fowler, the threads of their ambitious and insightful works will be drawn out further, when allied together.
Writing history as fiction: the Baltics and beyond
with Kristina Sabaliauskaitė, Rein Raud, Leila Aboulela (UK); chaired by Alex Clark
16:00 – 17:00, The Cross-Cultural Hub
Why are writers drawn to the past, and why do readers follow them there? What do historical novels tell us about the past, or the present? Which universal themes occur in any time period? Kristina Sabaliauskaitė, whose Silva Rerum saga – set in the years 1659-1795 in the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth and across England, France, the Netherlands and Germany – is considered Lithuania’s most important literary event of the past decade, and Rein Raud, whose recently-translated novel The Death of the Perfect Sentence takes place in Soviet-occupied Estonia discuss these questions.
Revealed or lost in translation: literature from the Baltics
with Kārlis Vērdiņš, Maarja Kangro, Christopher Moseley
and Romas Kinka; chaired by Daniel Hahn
16:00 – 17:00, Literary Translation Centre
How much can be ‘lost’ or ‘revealed’ by translation? How does a translated work co-exist with the original? And how can we translate different genres such as poetry, folk songs, and dialects? Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian are very different languages, and their idiosyncrasies make them undeniably challenging to translate. In this session Latvian writer Kārlis Vērdiņš and Estonian writer Maarja Kangro discuss their experiences of translating and being translated. We’ll also hear from translation experts on the experiences and methods of translating from Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian into other world languages.
11th April Wednesday
Finding new voices: children’s literature from the Baltics
with Aušra Kiudulaitė (Lithuania), Roger Thorp (UK), Luīze Pastore (Latvia), Penny Thomas (UK), Emma Wright (UK) and Ulla Saar (Estonia); chaired by Pam Dix (UK)
10:00 – 11:00, Children’s Hub
Each of the Baltic countries has a flourishing children’s book market, previously little known in the UK. This panel discussion explores the publication choices of several UK children’s publishers and introduces the authors / illustrators and the books they have chosen to publish. We will look at the journey to publication and what these books will bring to the UK children’s market.
Sinking Europe? European narratives in times of change
with Mihkel Mutt, Kristina Sabaliauskaitė, Tomas Venclova and Sathnam
Sanghera; chaired by Peter Pomerantsev (UK)
10:00 – 11:00, The Cross-Cultural Hub
Is Europe sinking, rising, or just changing? We discuss this with Mihkel Mutt, author of several highly-praised books on Estonia’s transition from a Soviet republic to part of the free world; Lithuanian Kristina Sabaliauskaitė, whose historical novels look at the changing state of Europe across the 17th and 18th centuries; Tomas Venclova, whose poetry has explored the issues of life under totalitarian rule; and writer Sathnam Sanghera whose work as a journalist and a writer engages with a changing Europe.
Promoting Reading – experience and ideas from the Baltic
11:30 – 12:30, Children’s Hub
Speakers: Rūta Elijošaitytė-Kaikarė (Lithuania), Triin Soone (Estonia), Silvija Tretjakova (Latvia). Chaired by Daniel Hahn (UK)
Reading is a fundamental skill everyone needs in order to find their way in the world, to compete in the job market market, and be a part of society. One of the most effective ways to promote reading skills is to involve children, young people and families in reading and develop their interest in literature. It’s a challenge, especially as people are confronted with a constant flow of information from online information, social media, and apps at almost every step. However, there is some encouraging news: Eurostat research from 2014 says that 68% of Europe’s inhabitants read books regularly, and that 31% go to the library. This shows that reading books is a popular way for people spend their free time.
At the seminar, each of the Baltic countries will present activities for promoting reading that have been designed for different audiences in order to involve them in reading, boost their imagination, and develop a joy for reading in an era of new challenges.
Imagining Lithuania: 100 Visions
13:00 – 14:00, The Cross-Cultural Hub
Speakers: Marija Drėmaitė (Lithuania), Eglė Rindzevičiūtė (Lithuania), Tomas Venclova (Lithuania). Chared by Edward Lucas (UK)
This year, Lithuania celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Restoration of Lithuania’s Independence. In the years since 1918, Lithuania has assumed its place in European and world history and developed a modern civil society that understands the importance of freedom and the duties that come with it. This discussion is an opportunity to revisit Lithuania’s hundred-year modern history through an exploration of political, academic and cultural visions. The dreams advanced by Lithuania’s national governments, public organisations and people reflect both a desire to create an independent future and a constant confrontation with historical reality, presenting us with an opportunity to explore Lithuanian history from different perspectives, revealing the contradictions, dynamism and diversity of the past century.
Author of the Day: Kristina Sabaliauskaitė
15:00 – 15:30, English PEN Literary Salon
Educating Publishing in the Baltics: from Soviet state-sponsored textbooks to digital learning, and teaching materials in 30 years
16:00 – 17:00, The Faculty
Speakers: Jurgita Nacevičienė (Lithuania), Kadri Rahusaar (Estonia), Sintija Buhanovska (Latvia). Chaired by Helga Holtkamp (Germany)
This year, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are celebrating the centenary of their independence. Independent statehood, however, was in all three countries reinstated short of thirty years ago. The process involved many reforms in all walks of life, education included, and necessitated the introduction of a new educational programme, new curricula, new study materials. In what way has educational publishing developed during these thirty years? What sort of an impact does technological progress have on study materials? How have schools adopted digital materials, and are schools/teachers prepared to accept and implement them? Do the current educational policies support the preparation of and transition to digital learning and teaching materials?
Transformations: women’s writing from the edges
with Undinė Radzevičiūtė, Nora Ikstena and Alys Conran; chaired by Bidisha
16:00 – 17:00, The Cross-Cultural Hub
Nora Ikstena’s novel Soviet Milk, a Latvian bestseller recently translated into English, looks at the lives of three women – daughter, mother and grandmother – during twenty years of socialist rule. Undinė Radzevičiūtė’s internationally praised novel Fishes and Dragons depicts clash of Chinese civilisation and the Christian world of the West, and the fundamental questions that this clash raises. UK writer Alys Conran, who has worked with disadvantaged groups to increase access to creative writing, and whose novel Pigeon examines the roles of the voiceless in society, will join us to discuss women’s writing – as a term to be embraced, rejected or complicated – with Bidisha.
Emerging Translator Mentorships reception
17:15 – 18:15, Literary Translation Centre
Participants: translator Erika Lastovskytė (Lithuania) and mentor Shaun Whiteside (UK)
Writers’ Centre Norwich invites you to join us in celebration of the work of our literary translation mentorships programme 2018. Featuring for the first time emerging translators working from Lithuanian, Latvian, Korean and Malayalam, as well as Arabic, Catalan, Greek, Polish and Norwegian, the reception will showcase an impressive array of new talent with publications and presentations. Supported by the Lithuanian Culture Institute,Latvian Literature, the Literary Translation Institute of Korea, the Polish Cultural Institute, the Royal Norwegian Embassy and Arts Council England.
12th April Thursday
Writing the City: Baltic spaces, British places
with Kristina Sabaliauskaitė, Inga Ābele and Vahni Capildeo; chaired by Steven Fowler
10:00 – 11:00, The Cross-Cultural Hub
What attracts writers to cities, and what is it about a city that inspires writers? What happens to an author – or their writing, or their characters – when their own identity comes into contact with that of a city? Kristina Sabaliauskaitė, whose works of fiction have seen her shortlisted for the ANGELUS Central European Literary Prize in 2016, joins Latvian poet, prose writer and playwright Inga Ābele. Abele’s work is known for the deep psychological portraits of her characters, and the effect of the space they find themselves in on their narratives. Vahni Capildeo’s Measures of Expatriation explores the self in migration in a series of poems that follow a character as she attempts to “remake” herself in modern cities. Chaired by Steven Fowler, who works on cross-national poetry collaborations through the Enemies project, and whose poetry is influenced by the environment it finds itself in.
Undinė Radzevičiūtė in Conversation with Georgina Godwin
10:00-10:30, English PEN Literary Salon
Undinė Radzevičiūtė is an internationally acclaimed writer, the author of five novels and a collection of short stories. Her writing is distinguished by its laconic style, its subtle black humour and broad cultural contexts. In 2015 she was awarded the European Union Prize for Literature.
Presentation of the main literary events and literary residencies in the Baltics
11:30 – 12:30, High Street Theatre
Speakers: Rūta Elijošaitytė-Kaikarė (Lithuania), Juta Pīrāga (Latvia), Marja Unta (Estonia). Chaired by Peggy Hughes (UK)
Are literary events just about books? What is their purpose? Is it to see our favourite authors on stage, hear them read from their books and engage in conversation? Or is it just a chance to meet authors, queue up to get their autographs on our first editions and ask them questions? The Baltic countries host a wide range of literary events and their publishing market is growing, with a busy calendar ahead of book fairs, literary residencies and new festivals, both local and international. Speakers from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will provide a snapshot of literary activity in the Baltic region – from festivals and book fairs to writing residencies. In such a rapidly growing market, what are the main challenges faced by event organisers? How do they balance their own priorities with those of their audiences? What exciting new ideas and initiatives can we expect in future?
Through a child’s eyes: Baltic and UK perspectives on fiction writing
with Alvydas Šlepikas, Nora Ikstena, Luīze Pastore and Rebecca Stott; chaired by Claire Armitstead
13:00 – 14:00, The Cross-Cultural Hub
Claire Armitstead (UK) chairs this discussion about writing stories from childhood, or from the perspective of a child. Recent novels by Latvian writer Nora Ikstena and Lithuanian author Alvydas Šlepikas have both explored childhoods lived out under oppressive regimes – Ikstena’s novel Soviet Milk looking at three generations of women over 20 years, and Šlepikas looking at the orphans known as ‘wolf children’, who came to Lithuania at the end of the Second World War. Rebecca Stott’s memoir In the Days of Rain tells the story of her life in an ultra-hardline Christian fundamentalist creationist sect. Here these writers discuss the similarities and differences in their work, and the effects of childhood on later life.
Why print your books in the Baltic countries?
13:00 – 14:00, The Buzz Theatre
Speakers: Artūras Karosas (Lithuania), Ģirts Karlsons (Latvia), Margus Liivamägi (Estonia). Chaired by Ed Nawotka (U.S.)
Printing industry representatives from all three Baltic countries discuss recent developments in the sector and the mechanisms of coping under new circumstances and new pressures. What measures have been taken to reach and maintain high standards? What have been the greatest challenges faced by the industry, and what are the advantages presented by new technologies? To what extent can printing houses offer flexibility to their customers? We’ll answer these questions and discuss why printing in the Baltics offers distinct advantages – affordability, proximity, expertise.
The Handover Ceremony
The Baltics Countries Market Focus to Market Focus 2019
15:30, Theatre 3D40