Transitions of Lithuanian Postmodernism

In 1990, Lithuania was the first of fifteen Soviet Republics to proclaim its independence from the USSR and, in doing so, dealt a fatal blow to this superpower. Overnight, this small country, whose very existence had been erased from the world map for 50 years, became Post-Soviet and proclaimed its return to a multicultural Europe. So, what happened then in the lives of Lithuanians? How did they survive the collapse of a planned economy and the crisis of values? How does Lithuania, together with the other Baltic countries, which had once been the most prosperous Republics in the USSR, come to terms with the fact that they are now among the poorest member nations in another transnational configuration – the European Union? These issues are actively addressed in the works of contemporary Lithuanian writers, whose texts are analyzed in the collection of articles, Transitions of Lithuanian Postmodernism: Lithuanian Literature in the Post-Soviet Period. Utilizing various perspectives, leading Lithuanian literary scholars discuss identity transformations and the discourse of reinterpretations of the past in contemporary Lithuanian prose, poetry, essay writing, and memoir. This book reveals both existentially universal dramas and specific experiences that arise from this unique double-post (Post-Soviet and postmodern) condition.

"The collection as a whole, and several essays in particular …, attempt to go beyond the confines of national literary criticism, situating contemporary Lithuanian literature in a global context. … this volume will prove useful to literary and cultural historians and to a more general audience interested in contemporary Lithuanian literature." – in: Slavic and East European Journal 57/4 (Winter 2013)
"Transitions of Lithuanian Postmodernism features essays touching upon the questions of identity, history, and culture in the post-Soviet Baltic countries. Its topic, contemporary Lithuanian literature, is a critical one that is most effectively approached from a variety of angles—hence the appropriateness of a collection of articles by a group of experts. … virtually every contribution to the volume is interesting and informative and will, one hopes, inspire further work." – in: Slavic Review 72/2 (Summer 2013)
"the first English book-length treatment of the subject … Transitions provides an adequate and exhaustive account of the latest developments in the cotemporary Lithuanian-language literary scene." – in: Lituanus, The Lithuanian Quarterly 59/2 (2013)