Antanas Škėma facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Antanas Škėma
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| Born | November 29, 1910 Łódź, Congress Poland |
| Died | September 11, 1961 (aged 50) East Cocalico, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation | Novelist, short story writer, playwright |
| Nationality | Lithuanian |
| Genre | Absurdism, existentialism, modernism, pessimism |
| Notable works | Balta drobulė (White Shroud) |
Antanas Škėma (born November 29, 1910 – died September 11, 1961) was a famous Lithuanian writer, playwright, and actor. He is best known for his novel Balta drobulė, which means White Shroud.
Contents
Antanas Škėma's Journey
Antanas Škėma was born on November 29, 1910, in Łódź, Poland. His father was a teacher there. During World War I, Antanas and his parents lived in Russia. In 1921, they all moved back to Lithuania.
He went to high school in Radviliškis and Kaunas. In 1929, he started studying medicine at the University of Lithuania. But in 1931, he changed his studies to law. This university is now called Vytautas Magnus University.
In 1935, Antanas joined a theater group. Soon after, he became an actor at the Lithuanian State Theatre in Kaunas. He started acting on Lithuania's main stage in 1936. While living in Kaunas, he married Janina Ciolkevičiūtė.
Theatre Work and War
From 1940 to 1944, Antanas Škėma worked at the Vilnius State Theater. He was an actor and also a director. He acted in almost every play during that time. His daughter, Kristina, was born in 1940. This was when World War II began, and the Soviet Union took control of Lithuania.
In 1944, when the Soviet Union took control of Lithuania again, Antanas left for Germany. There, he worked with Lithuanian theater groups. He performed in camps for people who had been forced to leave their homes. His first book, a collection of short stories called Firebrands and Sparks, was published there.
New Life in America
In 1949, Antanas Škėma moved from Europe to the United States. He took on various jobs to make a living, including working as an elevator operator. He also actively participated in the cultural life of Lithuanians living outside their home country.
He performed in plays with the Chicago Theatre and Boston's Drama Group. He also put on his own plays. During this time, he published more short stories, dramas, and his famous novel Balta drobulė.
From 1960 to 1961, he worked for the newspaper Vienybė. He also gave talks, joined debates, and wrote articles about theater and literature.
Antanas Škėma sadly died in a car accident in Pennsylvania on September 11, 1961.
Antanas Škėma's Writings
Antanas Škėma's most famous novel is Balta drobulė (published in 1958). It caused many interesting discussions among writers. Most people thought it was a new and exciting way to write Lithuanian stories.
Balta drobulė - A Unique Story
The novel is about a Lithuanian poet named Antanas Garšva. Like Škėma himself, Garšva works as an elevator operator in New York. The author explores feelings of being alone and dealing with difficult past experiences. Garšva's sad experiences eventually lead to mental struggles.
The story takes place over just one day. But through Garšva's memories, it covers his whole life. This includes his childhood, the time between the world wars, the occupations, and refugee camps in Europe. It also covers his new life in the U.S. Parts of the novel are based on Antanas Škėma's own life.
A New Way of Writing
Antanas Škėma used a special writing style called stream of consciousness. This means the story shows the character's thoughts and feelings as they happen. He created his own unique style with this method.
His novel uses irony (saying one thing but meaning another) and sometimes surrealism (dream-like images). It has unexpected metaphors (comparing two unlike things). The style changes quickly, from beautiful, gentle descriptions to rough, cynical ones. It also includes many references to other cultural works. Škėma also played with the sounds of words. He showed how different cultures clashed by using American words in Lithuanian.
Balta drobulė was first printed by a Lithuanian publisher in London. It was finally released in Lithuania in 1990. Since then, it has been translated into many languages. These include Estonian (1992), Latvian (2000), English (2017) as White Shroud, German (2017) as Das weiße Leintuch, and French (2024) as Le Linceul blanc.
Other Works
His short story Izaokas (Isaak) was made into a major movie in 2019.
His play The Awakening was first performed in America after his death in 1985. It was shown at the Courtyard Playhouse in New York's West Village.
