Born in 1947 in Prienai, Lithuania

Citizen of the Republic of Lithuania

Studied in the Faculty of History and Philology of Vilnius University and obtained a diploma in journalism.

Married with two children: a daughter and a son.

Work experience

1971–1975: worked as a lecturer of philosophy and ethics at a number of higher educational establishments in Kaunas and pursued doctoral studies at the Institute of Philosophy. The title of my thesis was Dostoevsky and Kierkegaard (the doctoral thesis was not defended because of my refusal to join the communist party).

1975–1988: scientific secretary at Vytautas the Great War Museum.

1988–1991: head of International Relations Department at the Lithuanian Agricultural Academy and vice president of the Lithuanian Farmers’ Union for Foreign Relations.

1991–1995: creative work (translation and creative writing).

1995: an expert at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania.

1996–1998: culture column correspondent, commentator and essayist for the Lietuvos rytas publication Laikinoji sostinė.

2000: US Department of State internship to look into problematic relations with ethnic and religious minorities and ways US political, academic and educational entities solve them. 

2000–2005: scientific research coordinator of the International Commission for the Evaluation of the Crimes of the Nazi and Soviet Occupying Regimes in Lithuania.

Since 2005: – Director of the Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum.

Books and dramaturgy:

Namas iš kedro. Poems. 1984, Vaga.

Vakaras vaikystėje. Poems. Vaga, 1989.

Šitiek saulėlydžių. Poems. Vaga, 1993.

Mažasis Paryžius. Staged at Kaunas Academic Drama Theatre in 1996–1999.

Aplink fontaną, arba mažasis Paryžius. Novel. Vilnius, Tyto Alba, 1998.

Iliuzionas. Short stories. Andrena, 2000.

Grojimas dviese. Novel. Baltos lankos. Vilnius, 2002.

Sezonas su šokėja. Novel. Baltos lankos, Vilnius, 2004.

Rudens ir pavasario pasikalbėjimas. Novel. Alma Littera, 2009.

Work for theatre and television

Concept of the TV series Viltys ir vilionės and screenplay for Part I.

Translations (from English):

I. B. Singer Café on Broadway. Vaga, 1998.

R. Persig Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

Libretto of the famous US musical My Darling Charity for Kaunas Musical Theatre, 2009

Translations of Mark Zinger’s works

Short stories and poems have been translated into a dozen European languages and published in German, Swedish, French, Polish, Italian, and a number of other anthologies of poetry and prose.

Participation in international and literary forums, awards, and recognition:

1990: Best New Author’s award for Vakaras vaikystėje, a book of poems.

2001: Book of the Year Award for Iliuzionas, a collection of short stories.

2013: First Prize for the Best Work of Prose established by the weekly Literatūra ir menas.

2001: Grant established by the Democratic Commission of the US Congress for writing a novel.

2003: Sign of recognition awarded at the Decree of the President of the Republic of Lithuania for helping Lithuania become a NATO member.

2013: Knight’s Cross of the Order for Merits to Lithuania.

1998–2008: recipient of multiple national grants.

2008: recipient of the grant established by the Literature Council of the Ministry of Culture and Science of Essen (Germany).

Membership

Lithuanian Writers Union

Lithuanian PEN Centre

Member of the Lithuanian delegation at the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance