News

For the fourth consecutive time books from Lithuania will be part of the Jerusalem International Book Fair. The bulk of Lithuanian collection this year deals with Lithuania’s Jewish cultural heritage, including albums such as Chaim Kaplansky’s photography, an illustrated Litvak Cuisine and collections such as Dovid Katz’s Windows to a Lost Jewish Past: Vilna Book Stamps.

The exposition of Lithuanian Stand will also reflect the topic of a related event at the Literary Café of the Book Fair, which will host a conversation on “Czesław Miłosz and Abraham Sutzkever: Two Poets of the Lost Vilnius“ on Wednesday, 23 February, at 11:00. Krzysztof Czyżewsky, poet, essayist and “practitioner of ideas”, will meet Prof. David G. Roskies (Ben-Gurion University) in a discussion moderated by Dr. Mindaugas Kvietkauskas, literary critic and translator.

Visitors of the Lithuanian stand will have a chance to browse through the original edition of Abraham Sutzkever’s “From Vilna Ghetto” in Yiddish, which appeared in Russia in 1946, as well as have a look at the newly printed Lithuanian translation of it, furnished with lively illustrations from private collections and from the archives of the Vilna Gaon Jewish Museum.

Also, and as a matter of course, the Lithuanian collection in Jerusalem will feature a number of impressive books devoted to a place formerly known as the Second Jerusalem: Vilnius. Visitors interested in cultural as well aesthetic aspects of the history of this seasoned city will notice massive albums such as Vilnius: Portrait of a City or a collection of photography by Jan and Janusz Bułhaks Vilnius: 1944.

In a bid to present a more comprehensive picture of Lithuania’s Jewish heritage the organizers have decided to supplement their exposition with some musical items, including records of the “legendary musicians of the little stage, 1920s-1930s”, such as Hofmekler Brothers Ensemble or Marek Weber Orchestra, whose double compact disc will be available for listening at the Lithuanian stand, along with “Songs of the Vilna Ghetto” and a video of the First Klezmer Music Festival in Vilnius 2009.

Lithuania’s contemporary culture will also be presented, including children’s books, reviews of contemporary writing, and catalogues of Lithuanian cinema and art.

The Centre for International Cultural Programmes and booksfromlithuania.lt, representing the organizers of Lithuania’s participation in the Jerusalem International Book Fair, have selected over 100 titles to be presented at this important international event.