Eugenijus Ališanka (1960) was born into a family of deportees deep in Russia, and did not see Lithuania for the first two years of his life. Whether coincidentally, subconsciously or on purpose, he has kept that way for most of his life. It is probably safe to say that Ališanka is the most widely translated Lithuanian poet: he has had more than ten books published in English, German, Russian, and some rarer languages like Slovenian and Finnish, and almost every one of his collections has been translated into another language. Ališanka travels extensively, often spending time on various writers’ residences abroad, and participating in events and festivals. He is also a prolific translator of poetry from English and Polish, and an ambitious intellectual thinker, although his more philosophical prose is often received rather ambiguously. He has written several collections of essays.

Jeigu (2011)

Ališanka’s latest poetry collection demonstrates many of his already well-known poetic devices: intellectual mind games, rich cultural references, and philosophical and metaphysical themes. At the same time, the more mature he becomes the clearer speaker he becomes. The book is full of hints at personal impressions, travels and childhood memories, all woven together tightly, along with his usual broken, or newly invented, grammar and punctuation. In 2012 it won him the Poetry Spring festival Oak Leaf Garland, the most desirable and prestigious poetry prize in Lithuania.