Marcelijus Martinaitis' poetry at the Manchester and Lancaster Literature Festivals
21-22 October, 2011. Marcelijus Martinaitis' work this year will be introduced at the Manchester and Lancaster Literature Festivals. His poetry will be read by his translator, Laima Vincė, whose 2009 translation of "K.B. The Suspect" was the poet‘s first published work in English, followed by this year‘s publication of "The Ballads of Kukutis", published by Arc Publications.
Laima Vincė and Marcelijus Martinatis this spring in London, during the Poet in the City event
Martinaitis, born in 1936, was a founding member of the Sąjūdis freedom movement, which began fighting for the country‘s independence in 1988, and he expressed powerful dissent through his poetic creation, the hapless Kukutis: „The greatest adventure of my life,“ he says, „was "The Ballads of Kukutis", that absurd participation of the protagonist in typical situations of the time and whose actions it was almost impossible to censor. These ballads were both a commentary on the Soviet system and the effect of a peculiar mythical personage with its origins in Lithuanian traditional culture.“ According to Martinaitis „censorship, to its misfortune, is responsible for creating special linguistic forms of communication which it becomes unable to control and suppress.“ Come along and discover his sharp, comic, salty lyrics spliced with profound compassion and humanity.
The poetry evening at the Manchester Literature Festival, is organized in association with EUNIC London and the European Commission Representation in UK, and introduces also Hungarian poet and translator Ágnes Lehóczky and Toon Tellegen, one of Holland’s best-known writers, who is also a novelist and a popular children’s author. The event, part of the European Literature Night series, will be chaired by journalist Rosie Goldsmith.
His solo evening at the Lancaster Literature Festival is organized under the headline of "Poetry and censorship".
More information about the events:
http://www.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk/events/21st-october/european-poetry-night
http://www.litfest.org/2011/09/28/poetry-and-censorship-marcelijus-martinaitis/
Friday 21st October, 6pm. International Anthony Burgess Foundation, The Engine House, Chorlton Mill, 3 Cambridge Street, Manchester M1 5BY
Tickets: £5/£3 concessions (includes refreshments). Book on 0843 208 0500 or online
Saurday 22nd October, 5pm. The Storey, Storey Creative Industries Centre, Meeting House Lane, Lancaster, LA1 1TH. This event is free. Donations will be gratefully accepted.
