A brief biography...

 
 

(For Lidija's full-length CV in English, click here and for Lithuanian, click here )

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Dan Monceaux
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Lidija Šimkutė is a bilingual poet. Her multidimensional poetry evokes primordial imagery, emotional tension, spiritual longing, life’s fragility, mystery and particularly silence.

Lidija was born in a small village in Samogitia, Lithuania, 1942. Her parents fled from Soviet occupation during WWII so Lidija spent her early childhood in displaced persons camps in Germany and came to Australia in 1949.

Lidija Šimkutė was keen to maintain and extend her Lithuanian language so furthered her studies in language, literature, folklore and history by correspondence through The Lithuanian Language Institute in Chicago, United States (1973-78) and went to Vilnius University Lithuania (1977 and 1987).

Lidija Šimkutė has three books published in Lithuanian and five
bilingual poetry books,
two of which are translated into German and Polish, and a broadsheet in English (Click here).

There are also three  bilingual CDs:Tylos erdv
ės/Spaces of Silence, Vėjo žvilgesys/Wind Sheen, Balti šešėliai/White Shadows with music inserts. (See attached CV)

Lidija Šimkutė writes in Lithuanian and English. There are Lithuanian publications in Kultūros Barai, Literatūra ir Menas, Metai, Nemunas, Šiaurės Atėnai and other literary journals. English publications in Meanjin, Southerly, Mattoid, Five Bells, Overland, Wet Ink and other journals in Australia, Lituanus in United States, Vilnius and Vilnius Review in Lithuania: The Shop in Ireland as well as other journals in Holland, Romania and United States.

Šimkutė’s poetry is included in various anthologies in English, Lithuanian and translations into other languages (see attached CV). Lidija has given interviews and bilingual readings on radio in Australia, Lithuania and elsewhere.

Šimkutės poems have been translated into thirteen languages.
Lidija has translated Australian poetry/prose (incl. David Malouf’s novel
An Imaginary of Life
); other works from English into Lithuanian, including poetry and prose of
Samuel Beckett; J.M. Coetzee’s Nobel
speech: He and His Man; Jelalludin Rumi’s poetry; a long poem: Thunder Perfect Mind from The Gnostic texts, and other works.
Lidija
has given poetry readings in various parts of the world, at a number of local and International Poetry Festivals. Poetry was read at a Dance Instillation project WWW for Weereewa / Lake George Festival, in Australia, and in Dreaming the Deep performed in Europe, 2002.

   Her poetry Spaces of Silence was used for a theatrical performance
   directed by Gediminas Sederavičius with author’s poetry reading, modern

  
dance, percussion and shakuhachi - staged in Vilnius, Klaipėda and
   Kaunas
in 2005.

 

   Lidija Šimkutė’s poem My Father was short listed for  Poem of the
   Millennium
 
at Poetry Festival in Australia 2004 and read on ABC TV
   Arts program.

Lidija has received poetry grants from Australia Council, South Australia Dept. for the Arts and the Lithuanian Australian Foundation.

 


Šimkute's poetry publications:

...Bilingual:

...in Lithuanian:

  • Antrasis ilgesys (The Second Longing), 1978 (USA)
  • Prisiminimų inkarai (Anchors of Memory), 1982 (USA)
  • Vėjas ir šaknys (Wind and Roots), 1991 (Lithuania)

...in English:

  • The Sun Paints a Sash, 2000 (USA)

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