Lidija Šimkutė.
The internationally-known Australian Lithuanian poet Lidija Šimkutė has published her ninth book of poetry - "Mintis ir
uola / Thought and Rock", written in Lithuanian and English and published by Lithuanian Writers Union Publishers, 2008.
In his forward to the book, the 2003 Nobel Literature Prize winner J.M.Coetzee writes about her "poems of remarkable
purity, written in a spirit of receptiveness to the world in which the poetic insight suddenly emerges like a bird taking
wing."
Lidija Šimkutė has now published nine books of poetry: three books in Lithuanian, one in English and five bilingual
books - three in Lithuanian/English, one in German/ English and one in Lithuanian/Polish. In many countries around the
world her poetry has been recited or has been included in anthologies - in Lithuania, Australia, Austria, Estonia,
Russia, Germany, Italy, Japan and others. Talking about Šimkutė’s earlier works, the noted Australian writer David Malouf
has declared that "Šimkutė works with as much space and silence as with words; her poems are full of interstices
through which light shines... works at the edge of what cannot be expressed. Her words have a shining simplicity and
precision."
Lidija’s poetry has inspired the Australian composer Margery Smith in her composition "Ocean Hum" for voice, flute and piano, which
will be premiered by Grevillea ensemble on 25th May 2008 at the Sydney Conservatorium.
Further information:
www.slic.org.au , go to Culture/ Literature/ Lidija Šimkutė
Lidija Šimkutė’s Website: www.ace.net.au/lidija
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