Violeta Palčinskaitė is a famous Lithuanian poetess, playwright, screenwriter, translator and children's literature classic. More than a single generation grew up reading her poetry and were deeply affected by her plays. Even those who are not interested in poetry, know her verses because they heard them as songs and quatrains which have become nearly folklore.

 

The Queen of children's books of 2012 was born on 20 November, 1943 in Kaunas and is already the third generation town dweller. She spent her childhood in Žaliakalnis with loving parents who not only tried to prevent her from deprivation and hardship, but also created a magical world of childhood. "My childhood was filled with toys and books, my parents were inventive. In the absence of computers and other means, the best games were at home with her father to build an Indian tent or play the zoo. So, I have very warm memories from my childhood. Perhaps even so far I have not completely grown out of it, which is why I am writing for children", - says the poet in one of the interviews.

 

Violeta was the only child. Her father was a teacher, and her mother was a pharmacist, who knew a lot of languages and loved to recite poetry very much. Thus, from an early age parents introduced the future poet with literature.

 

V. Palčinskaitė has said that the books she has read, her childhood and her home, which was so light and filled with joy, had a significan influence on her choice to become a writer. " I do not know why but I started to make up rhymes already in the childhood. Just inadvertently I would fiddle line to line, and when they suddenly sounded beautifully, I began to enjoy such an unusual form of a game ... After all, there were no computers ... "- the author remembers the beginning of her career as a writer. Her first poems were about bird feeders, a Santa Claus ... "Usually most people become more serious later in life, give up creating poetry, find a job. But I have never stopped writing poetry"- told the poet in one of her interviews. Being fifteen (1958), she started to publish her poems and released the first collection of poems called Žemė kėlė žolę in 1961, when she was a first-year-student at Vilnius University.

 

During her creative life the author has published over 30 books, has written scripts for films Andrius, Traukinys į Bulzibarą, Geležinė princesė (directed by Algirdas Araminas), the lyrics for Eduardas Balsys oratorio Nelieskite mėlyno gaublio (1970 m). She has also translated from English such famous writers as Roald Dahl, Lemon Snicket, Kate Di Camillo, Jacqueline Wilson and British folklore for children. V. Palčinskaitė is the author of a musical for children Aš tau siunčiu labų dienų (music by Giedrius Kuprevičius). Her plays-fairy tales were staged  not only in Lithuanian theatres but also in Moscow, Kiev, Lvov, Minsk, Tbilisi, Helsinki and other theatres. Many of her lyric works were published in Russian and English languages.

 

Bibliography:

 

Žemė kėlė žolę: poems. – Vilnius: Vaga, 1961.

Akmenys žydi: poems. – Vilnius: Vaga, 1963.

Aikštės: poems. – Vilnius: Vaga, 1965.

Kreidos bokštai: poems. – Vilnius: Vaga, 1969.

Beldimas į duris: poems. – Vilnius: Vaga, 1979.

Laiptai: poems. – Vilnius: Vaga, 1985.

Žirnių namelis: poems. – Vilnius: Vaga, 1966.

Einu per miestą: poems. – Vilnius: Vaga, 1968.

Braškių karalienė: poems. – Vilnius: Vaga, 1969.

Baltosios nykštukės: poems. – Vilnius: Vaga, 1970.

Namai namučiai: poems. – Vilnius: Vaga, 1977, 1984.

Kristiano Anderso rožė: plays. – Vilnius: Vaga, 1978.

Aš vejuos vasarą: plays. – Vilnius: Vyturys, 1982.

Senamiesčio lėlės: poems. – Vilnius: Vyturys, 1987.

Visi ką nors turi. – Vilnius: Vyturys, 1988.

Spyruoklinis kareivėlis. – Vilnius: Vyturys, 1990.

Sapnų taškuota sraigė: poems. – Vilnius: Vaga, 1997.

Skersgatvio palangės: collection of plays and poetry. – Vilnius: Alma littera, 2003.

Karalius pamiršo raidyną: my ABC: poems for children. – Vilnius: Alma littera, 2007.

Stebuklinga Mocarto fleita: tale based on V. A. Mozart opera “The Magic Flute” – Vilnius: Kronta, 2008.

Po kabančiu pasakos tiltu (compiled  by G. Skabeikytė-Kazlauskienė). – Vilnius: Gimtasis žodis, 2010.

Muzika troliui: novella, for everyone who longs for adventure. – Vilnius: Nieko rimto, 2011.

Dėmesio! Žiūrėk į mane: 37 photos of Poviliukas with funny comments: short stories (together with K. Saja). – Vilnius: Alma littera, 2013.

Vaikų kambarys: collection of poetry. – Vilnius: Nieko rimto, 2013.

Atminties babilonai, arba Aš vejuos vasarą: memoirs. ‒ Vilnius: Tyto alba, 2015.

 

Translations from English:

 

Motulės Žąsies eilėraščiai: British folklore for children. – Vilnius: Vaga, 1998.

R. Dahl. Čarlis šokolado rojuje: novella. – Vilnius: Homo faber, 1998.

J. Donaldson. Grufas: tale. – Vilnius: Alma littera, 2004, 2013.

K. DiCamillo. Jei ne Vinis Diksis: novel. – Vilnius: Alma littera, 2004, 2014.

L. Snicket. Bloga pradžia: novella. – Vilnius: Presvika, 2004.

J. Wilson. Vidurnaktis: novella. – Vilnius: Alma littera, 2005.

R. Dahl. Čarlis ir šokolado fabrikas: novella. – Vilnius: Garnelis, 2008.

J. Salamon. Kalėdų eglutė: the most beautiful festive story. – Vilnius: Metodika, 2011.

J. Donaldson. Kam sugalvota skraidanti šluota: fairy tale. – Vilnius: Baltos lankos, 2012.

Muminukas ir žiemos sniegas: tale based on original Tove Jansson books. – Vilnius: Nieko rimto, 2012.

Sh. Silverstein. Dovanų medis: story of selfless gifts of love. – Vilnius: Tyto alba, 2013.

D. Underwood. Tylioji knygelė. – Vilnius: Nieko rimto, 2014.

D. Bisset. Tigras nori dar: fairy tales. – Vilnius: Nieko rimto, 2014.

J. Boyne. Baisus dalykas, nutikęs Barnabiui Broketui: novel. – Vilnius: Tyto alba, 2014.

J. Donaldson, A. Scheffler. Rudens takais su Grufu: book of nature researcher Gruffalo. – Vilnius: Nieko rimto, 2015.

J. Donaldson, A. Scheffler. Grufo užduočių knygelė. – Vilnius: Nieko rimto, 2015.

J. Donaldson, A. Scheffler. Grufo vaikelis. – Vilnius: Nieko rimto, 2015.

 

Awards:

 

1978 LSSR State award for the book “Namai namučiai”.

1982 Golden medal in international festival of films for children and teenagers (Italy) for movie “Andrus” based on V. Palčinskaitė script.

1988 International Board on Books for Young People diploma for poetry book for children“Senamiesčio lėlės”.

2004 The Cross of the Knight of the Order of Vytautas the Great.

2009 Gold medal of World Intellectual Property Organization.

2011 Book “Muzika troliui” was nominated in the Book of the Year Campaign, in Books for Children section.

2012 Children literary award.

2016 m. Book „Atminties babilonai, arba Aš vejuos vasarą“ nominated in the Book of the Year Campaign, prose category.