Coincidence, or perhaps the muses, determined that on Sunday, May 12, just as the last lines of the Kaunas Literature Week echo, the 60th Spring of Poetry will begin. Since 1965 The international poetry festival that is being organized has already announced its program, guest list and laureate and invites you to take part in 15 days of free events throughout Lithuania and beyond. What is interesting in Kaunas and its vicinity this year?
First, the news published on May 6. Due to dissatisfaction with the changed composition of the Maironis Prize commission, on the occasion of the anniversary festival’s 60th anniversary, the board of the Lithuanian Writers’ Union, which organizes it, decided that from now on, two separate prizes will be awarded, instead of the winner of the Maironis Prize, who is crowned with the laurels of the festival. So Jaune on May 24th. Maironis prize laureate poet Ieva Rudžianskaitė will be awarded, and on the closing evening of the festival in Vilnius on May 26. poet, publicist Vytautas Kaziela is crowned the laureate of Poetry Spring. He will be awarded for the book of poems “Don’t Open Your Eyes, Lord”. Read more about it here.
Program of poetry spring in Kaunas
Sunday, May 12 14.00
Opening of poetry spring in Kaunas
Kaunas State Musical Theater Garden, Laisvės al. 91
Tuesday, May 14 13.00
Garliava Jonučiai pro-gymnasium Borutaičiai society’s poetry festival “Tēviškė pasvieai”
Kazios Borutas homestead (Ražiškių village, Garliava district, Kaunas district)
Wednesday, May 15 17.30
Memorial evening of poet Kęstutis Navakas (1964–2020), laureate of the National Culture and Art Prize: poems, memories, music
Maironis Museum of Lithuanian Literature (Rotušės a. 13)
Saturday, May 18, 12:00 p.m
Zicarine
House-museum of Juoz Zikaros (J. Zikaros st. 3)
Saturday, May 18, 1:00 p.m
Women’s poetry afternoon “Spring of my soul”
Department of the Maironis Museum of Lithuanian Literature – Salomeja Nėries and Bernard Bučas house-museum (S. Nėries st. 7)
Sunday, May 19 15.00
An hour of sacred poetry
Kaunas Small Church of the Resurrection of Christ (Aukštaičių St. 6)
Wednesday, May 22 16.00
Poetry readings
Museum of Ethnic Culture of Antanas and Jonas Juškas (Kaunas Mažoji st. 2, Vilkija, Kaunas district)
Thursday, May 23 17.30
Wind jazz”: an afternoon of avant-garde shock poetry, remembering the modernist poets of pre-war Lithuania
Department of the Maironis Museum of Lithuanian Literature – House-Museum of Balis and Vandas Sruogs (21 B. Sruogos St.)
Friday, May 24 18.00
Ceremonial presentation of the Maironis prize of Kaunas city municipality to Ieva Rudžianskaitei
Garden of the Maironis Museum of Lithuanian Literature (Rotušės a. 13)
The entire festival program throughout Lithuania is published at this link
