News

On 23 February, Lithuanian Ambassador to Israel Darius Degutis took part in the debate “Czesław Miłosz and Abraham Sutzkever: Two Poets of the Lost Vilnius” at the Jerusalem International Book Fair.  The audience gathered at a literature café and was acquainted with the multicultural and intellectual environment of the interwar Vilnius, where poets Cz.Miłosz and A.Sutzkever began their creative work.

Although they wrote poems in different languages, Cz.Miłosz created in the Polish language, while A.Sutzkever in Yiddish, both poets participated in the same literary readings in Vilnius. Vilnius influenced the creative work of both poets.

Ambassador D.Degutis emphasized that this event was an important part of the programme “The Year of Remembrance for the Victims of the Holocaust in Lithuania”, which was adopted by the Government of Lithuania.

The Ambassador informed that a plaque would be unveiled in memory of A.Sutzkever this May in Vilnius, during the March of the Living in memory of Holocaust victims.

The discussion was also attended by poet and essayist from Poland Krzysztof Czyżewski and Professor David Roskies from Israel’s Ben-Gurion University. The discussion was moderated by Director of Institute of the Lithuanian Literature and Folklore Mindaugas Kvietkauskas.

Lithuania’s stand at this year’s Jerusalem International Book Fair mostly presents books and publications about the heritage and history of the Lithuanian Jewry and Lithuanian Jews, who became world famous because of their creative work.

The book by A.Sutzkever “It Was In The Vilnius Ghetto”, published in the Lithuanian language for the first time, is also presented at the Fair.

Lithuania’s participation in this international event is coordinated by the “Lithuanian Books” programme of the International Cultural Programmes Centre and the Lithuanian Embassy in Israel.