Gytis Norvilas

- Lithuania -

Gytis Norvilas (b. 24 of December, 1976 in Jonava) poet, translator, essayist. Gytis has studied Theory of History ant History of Culture in Vilnius University. He started to publish in press in 1997. His published books: Akmen-skeltės, 2002 (Stone-splits), Skėrių pusryčiai, 2006  (Breakfast of Locusts), Išlydžių zonos, 2012 (Discharge zones). His first book Akmen-skeltės appeared in 2002, and was awarded with the Prize for Poetic Debut of the Festival Druskininkai Poetic Fall. The book "Išlydžių zonos" was awarded by The Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore as the most creative published work of 2012. The book was chosen by competent Commission to Five best poetry books of 2012 in Book of the Year Campaign.

Member of Lithuanian Writers Union. Lives in Vilnius. Editor of weekly cultural periodical "Literatūra ir menas" (Literature and art)

He translates poetry and prose from German, Russian. Translated and published Tuvans, Old Indians poetry; also a number of works of German and Austrian poets, i.e. Albert Lichtenstein, Hugo Ball, August Stramm, Kurt Schwitters, Hans Magnus Enzensberger, Günter Eich, Wolfgang Weyrauch, Nicolo Born, Hans Carl Artmann, Ingeborg Bachmann, Christoph Meckel, Jürgen Theobaldy, Durs Grünbein, Robert Schindel, Josef Winkler etc.


Gytis Norvilas is a poet, translator, essayist. Gytis has studied Theory of History ant History of Culture in Vilnius University. He started to publish in press in 1997. His first step with a book was bright. His first book Akmen-skeltės ("Stone-splits") appeared in 2002, and it was awarded with the Young Yotvingian prize for the best debut of the year. Gytis says that time we where born is schizophrenic – we started our lives in comunism regime and then moved to capitalism. This gave to us (and to his poetry too) something dual. This dualism is seen in all his books.

 

The second book "Skėrių pusryčiai" ("Breakfast of Locusts"), published in 2006, was shortlisted to twelve best Lithuanian book of the Year by The Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore. As many critics think, second book gives us a vision, what kind of poet we see. And we heard "the fall of words in this book".

 

His third poetry book "Išlydžių zonos" ("Discharge zones") appeared in 2012. The Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore awarded this book as the most creative published work of 2012. The book was chosen also by competent Commission to Five best poetry books of 2012 in Book of the Year Campaign. Same year Gytis Norvilas won a prize "a Literary Hat by Jonas Mekas" in the Festival "Panevėžys Literary Winter". Gytis doesn’t publish books every year but when he does, he does it good and he is seen among poetry readers and critics.

 

Gytis Norvilas is a person with many different points of view. He is a writer, a poet, a photographer and a painter. He illustrates his books by him self so books become his own creation without any intervention from side and other people.

 

As mentioned earlier, dualism is always in his poetry: it unifies futurism and archaic forms, surrealism and social reality, nature and fantasy. He is seen in different fields of art, not only paintings and literature: he wrote a one Act Opera "Not to be or be" for event "New Opera Action2 in 2009 and together with composer Martynas Bialobžeskis created a work "Season of Sun" for 300 years of Kristijonas Donelatis in 2013-2014.

 

His first book was a possibility to show his uniqueness but second book confirmed it. "We can say that "Breakfast of Locusts" declares an absolute individuality. That’s why it is unique today. This absolute individuality is something what let us keep him away from any literature genre or caste." (Donatas Paulauskas, www.bernardinai.lt)

 

Gytis is a translator also. He translates poetry and prose from German, Russian. Translated and published Tuvans, Old Indians poetry; also a number of works of German and Austrian poets, i.e. Albert Lichtenstein, Hugo Ball, August Stramm, Kurt Schwitters, Hans Magnus Enzensberger, Günter Eich, Wolfgang Weyrauch, Nicolo Born, Hans Carl Artmann, Ingeborg Bachmann, Christoph Meckel, Jürgen Theobaldy, Durs Grünbein, Robert Schindel, Josef Winkler etc. In the interview for cultural portal www.bernardinai.lt he told that he always very carefully chooses what to translate: "I choose poets who are related to me. There is nothing worse then to translate an author who is far away from my view. Translation is a school where you can learn language and visions."

 

Many literature critics call him experimental and unusual poet. He plays with a language, forms and images. "Game" is a usual word when talking about Gytis' poetry. "Reality of life, physics, even logic is rejected in this poetical game". (Vainius Bakas, cultural weekly "Literatūra ir menas"). This rejection is something fundamental.