On June 30, a group of writers, translators and literary critics from dozens of countries around the world visited the National Library of Lithuania for the Second Lithuanian World Writers’ Congress. It was a return visit— in 2019, the participants of the first congress were also the Library’s guests.
The National Library hosted a discussion with the Lithuanian publishers: Lolita Varanavičienė, head of the publishing house Tyto alba, Sigita Pūkienė, founder and head of the publishing house Aukso žuvys, Juozas Žitkauskas, director of the publishing house Slinktys, Giedrė Pūrienė, head of the publishing house Juoda ant balto, and Laimutė Grikinienė, head of the Publishing Department of the Lithuanian Centre for Research on Genocide and Resistance, and the Lithuanian Genocide Resistance. Amon other things, the participants expressed a wish to pay more attention to the content of the books of the Lithuanian writers living abroad, the role of a literary agent, and the development of social relations.
After the discussion, the guests were invited to visit the exhibition of books published by Lithuanian diaspora authors in recent years. The exhibition was prepared by the staff of the Lithuanian Studies Unit of the Library. The guests also visited the exhibition of photographs by American-Lithuanian Edis Jurčys “The Anxiety of Being.”
Jūratė Caspersen, Chairperson of the Cultural Commission of the Lithuanian World Community, presented the Library with a copy of the almanac, Egzodika 2 (Vilnius: Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore, 2022) with the signatures of the participants of the congress and their best wishes.
Jūratė Caspersen, Chairperson of the Cultural Commission of the Lithuanian World Community, presented the Library with a copy of the almanac, Egzodika 2 (Vilnius: Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore, 2022) with the signatures of the participants of the congress and their best wishes.
The next congress is planned to take place in 2025. There is little doubt that Lithuanian writers from all over the world will again meet at the National Library of Lithuania.