News

/ 11 October 2017

The Aftermath of Druskininkai Poetic Fall

The festival Druskininkai Poetic Fall just ended. Few days of hot discussion, poetry readings, VERSOPOLIS poets afternoon and music ended with readings of all Festival guests, winners of anonymous competitions and Yotvingian prizes winners.


 

Yotvingian Prize was awarded to poet Gytis Norvilas for his book Grimzdimas (Sinking). (Lithuanian Writers’ Union, 2017), the Young Jotvingian’s Prize was awarded to Vytautas Stankus for his book Skruzdžių Skandinimas (Drowning of Ants) (Versus Aureus Publishing House, 2016). Both poets are in VERSOPOLIS poets list.


 

Gytis Norvilas is a poet, translator, essayist, and chief editor of the Literatūra ir Menas weekly newspaper (Literature and Art). Grimzdimas is his fourth book. Verbal meanings are extended by means of the graphics of a poem or a painting by the author in this conceptual book with a specific structure. The poet is provoking his readers, by also looking for new spaces as well as forms of expressions in the collection.


 

Skruzdžių Skandinimas is the third collection of poems by Vytautas Stankus. The poems contained in this book are, at first sight, fragmented and rough are particularly closely connected in a harmonious way by the connections of ethics and worldviews.


 

The Yotvingian Award is granted for a collection of poetry published in the last two years. The Young Yotvingian Award is granted for an original or a translated poetry book by a young author (under 35).


 

Both books are shortlisted in the poetry category in The Book of the Year campaign together with books by Tomas Venclova (Eumenidžių giraitė), Agnė Žagrakalytė (Štai) and Rimvydas Stankevičius (Šermuonėlių mantija). The winner will be announced in the International Vilnius Book Fair next February.