Arc Translation Classics (obsolete)

Marcelijus Martinaitis, Laima Vince, Laima Vince, Laima Vinc

• Publisher: Arc Publications
• Year: 2011
• Print ISBN: 9781906570262
• eBook ISBN: 9781908376398
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Poetry
• Index: Literature

Set in the Stalinist era, when Lithuaniaís farmers lost everything ñ their villages, their land, and even their way of life ñ to the process of collectivisation, this book documents the life of the village idiot/anarchistic trickster Kukutis. Incapable of understanding or following the laws and rules of the totalitarian regime, and knowing nothing of strictures or borders, he says and does what he likes, thus becoming a potent symbol of freedom until the downfall of communism in Lithuania. Together these poems form a black comic riposte to the horrors of occupation and totalitarian rule."It is of the essence of the trickster that he is playful and seems to be talking - whispering, acting - about something else, and that this something else has an innocence about it, a lack of central concern. No politics here! It worked, we are told; of the few books that got through the layers of official censorship, this one - or in its separate publications - did."
Stride "To describe these poems as ballads is not to say they are written in regular verse or have recourse to narrative structures punctuated by refrains, but they nonetheless penetrated the consciousness of the people of Lithuania to the extent that they were chanted by crowds demonstrating as the Soviet grip on the country was released. Kukutis is clearly of those characters who escape from their creator and belong to all."
The Warwick Review Marcelijus Martinaitis, author of fifteen collections of poetry and five collections of essays, was born in 1936 in western Lithuania. After an education disrupted by first Soviet then Nazi occupation, he graduated from Vilnius University and worked as a journalist, editor and university tutor until he retired in 2002. In 1998 he received the Lithuanian National Award in Literature, the highest honour bestowed upon a Lithuanian writer. During the late 80s and early 90s, he actively participated in Lithuaniaís struggle to regain its independence from the Soviet Union. Laima Vince is a graduate in Creative Writing from Columbia University. Her other translations include Martinaitisís poetry collection K.B. The Suspect (2009).

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CONTENTS

Introduction: Kukutis as a Trickster Character

Nakvynė pas žemaitį Kukutį	•	Spending the Night at Kukutis’s Farm
Pasaulinis skausmas Kukučio nutrauktoj kojoj	•	The World’s Pain in Kukutis’s Lost Amputated Leg
Bergždžia Kukučio duona	•	Kukutis’s Barren Bread
Kukučio rauda po dangum	•	Kukutis’s Lament Under the Heavens
Ir dangun nuėjo žemė	•	And Earth Went Up to Heaven
Kukutis reicho daboklėje	•	Kukutis in Forced Labour
Kukučio žodžiai	•	Kukutis’s Words
Instrukcija Kukučiui, paleistam iš daboklės	•	Instruction for Kukutis Released from Forced Labour
Kaip Kukutis protą atgavo	•	How Kukutis Regained His Senses
Mano sugalvota pasaka pakartam Kukučiui palinksminti	•	The Story I Came Up With to Cheer Up Hanged Kukutis
Įrankių, žodžių...

Table of contents

• Contents
• Introduction: Kukutis as a Trickster Character
• The Ballads of Kukutis
• NAKVYNĖ PAS ŽEMAITĮ KUKUTĮ
• SPENDING THE NIGHT AT KUKUTIS’S FARM
• PASAULINIS SKAUSMAS KUKUČIO NUTRAUKTOJ KOJOJ
• THE WORLD’S PAIN IN KUKUTIS’S LOST AMPUTATED LEG
• BERGŽDŽIA KUKUČIO DUONA
• KUKUTIS’S BARREN BREAD
• KUKUČIO RAUDA PO DANGUM
• KUKUTIS’S LAMENT UNDER THE HEAVENS
• IR DANGUN NUĖJO ŽEMĖ
• AND EARTH WENT UP TO HEAVEN
• KUKUTIS REICHO DABOKLĖJE
• KUKUTIS IN FORCED LABOUR
• KUKUČIO ŽODŽIAI
• KUKUTIS’S WORDS
• INSTRUKCIJA KUKUČIUI, PALEISTAM IŠ DABOKLĖS
• INSTRUCTIONS FOR KUKUTIS RELEASED FROM FORCED LABOUR
• KAIP KUKUTIS PROTĄ ATGAVO
• HOW KUKUTIS REGAINED HIS SENSES
• MANO SUGALVOTA PASAKA PAKARTAM KUKUČIUI PALINKSMINTI
• THE STORY I CAME UP WITH TO CHEER UP HANGED KUKUTIS
• ĮRANKIŲ, ŽODŽIŲ IR ŽMONIŲ SUSIMAIŠYMAS KUKUTYNĖJE
• THE CONFUSION OF TOOLS, WORDS, PEOPLE IN THE KUKUTYNĖ
• KUKUČIO KREGŽDĖS GIESMĖ
• KUKUTIS’S SWALLOW’S HYMN
• KUKUČIO RAŠTAS VIENKARTINEI PAŠALPAI GAUTI
• KUKUTIS’S APPLICATION FOR TEMPORARY RELIEF AID
• KUKUČIO PAMOKSLAS KIAULĖMS
• KUKUTIS’S SERMON TO THE PIGS
• KUR, KUKUTI, PADĖJAI TU SAVO KUKUTĮ?
• KUKUTIS, WHERE DID YOU PUT YOUR KUKUTIS?
• DAUG KUKUČIŲ IR VIENAS
• MANY KUKUTISES AND ONE
• KUKUTIS NORI PAMATYTI TĖVYNĘ
• KUKUTIS WANTS TO SEE HIS HOMELAND
• KUKUTIS ATMERKIA AKIS
• KUKUTIS OPENS HIS EYES
• KUKUTIS VAŽIUOJA GREITAI
• KUKUTIS DRIVES FAST
• KUKUČIO SĄMONĖS SUSVETIMĖJIMAS
• HOW KUKUTIS BECAME ESTRANGED FROM HIS CONSCIOUSNESS
• NELEISTI!
• FORBID HIM!
• KUKUČIO GALYBĖ
• KUKUTIS’S MIGHT
• EKSPERIMENTAS
• AN EXPERIMENT
• KELTUVIŲ RYTAS KUKUČIO NAMUOS
• MORNING IN KUKUTIS’S COTTAGE
• KUKUTIS – PASAULINEI PARODAI
• KUKUTIS AND THE WORLD’S FAIR
• KUKUTIS SAVO LAIDOTUVĖSE
• KUKUTIS AT HIS FUNERAL
• KUKUTIS PASAKOJA APIE SAVO TROBĄ
• KUKUTIS TELLS ABOUT HIS COTTAGE
• NAKTĮ, KUKUČIO SODYBOJ…
• NIGHT AT KUKUTIS’S FARMSTEAD
• PASKUTINĖ KUKUČIO DIENA
• KUKUTIS’S LAST DAY
• ŽUVELIŠKIŲ MOTERYS APRAUDA KUKUTĮ
• THE WOMEN OF ŽUVELIŠKĖS MOURN KUKUTIS
• KAIP LAIDOT KUKUTĮ?
• HOW TO BURY KUKUTIS
• KUKUČIO TESTAMENTAS
• KUKUTIS’S TESTAMENT
• KUKUČIO PAGAILĖJIMAS TAMSIĄ AUDRINGĄ NAKTĮ
• KUKUTIS’S SORROWS ON A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT
• KUKUTIS KALBINA SAVO GYVYBĘ
• KUKUTIS ADDRESSES HIS LIFE
• NUODĖMINGA KUKUČIO DVASIA
• KUKUTIS’S SINFUL SOUL
• KUKUTIS MOKO VAIKĄ, KAIP PAGLOSTYTI BRIEDĮ
• KUKUTIS TEACHES A CHILD HOW TO PET A MOOSE
• KUMELAITĖ KUKUČIO AUSY
• A PONY IN KUKUTIS’S EAR
• KUKUČIO SENIS SU PLIENINE YLA
• KUKUTIS’S OLD MAN WITH A TIN AWL
• KUKUČIO DAINA
• KUKUTIS’S SONG
• NELAIMINGAS KUKUTIS BULVĖSE
• UNHAPPY KUKUTIS IN THE POTATO PATCH
• KUKUČIUI REIKIA MOTERS
• KUKUTIS NEEDS A WOMAN
• KUKUČIO GAILESTIS DĖL KULIAMŲJŲ SUNYKIMO
• KUKUTIS MOURNS THE LOSS OF THRESHING MACHINES
• KUKUTIS VENGIA ATSAKOMYBĖS
• KUKUTIS AVOIDS RESPONSIBILITY
• KUKUTIS ŽIŪRI Į STIUARDESĘ
• KUKUTIS GAZES AT A STEWARDESS
• KUKUTIS PASAKOJA APIE SAVO MOTERĮ
• KUKUTIS TELLS ABOUT HIS WOMAN
• KUKUČIO KELIONĖ ŽEMAIČIŲ PLENTU
• KUKUTIS’S TRIP ON THE SAMOGITIAN HIGHWAY
• KUKUČIO APSILANKYMAS VILNIUJE
• KUKUTIS’S VISIT TO VILNIUS
• KUKUTIS VAŽIUOJA PILNU TROLEIBUSU
• KUKUTIS RIDES A FULL TROLLEYBUS
• KUKUTIS KATEDROS AIKŠTĖJE SUSAPNUOJA ŽUVELIŠKIŲ KAIMĄ
• KUKUTIS DREAMS UP ŽUVELIŠKĖS VILLAGE IN THE CATHEDRAL SQUARE
• KUKUČIO DIAGNOZĖ
• KUKUTIS’S DIAGNOSIS
• KUKUTIS MUŠA MOKSLŲ KANDIDATO PLIUGŽMOS ŠUNĮ
• KUKUTIS BEATS THE AGENT’S DOG
• KUKUČIO KREIPIMASIS Į ALFABETĄ
• KUKUTIS’S APPEAL TO THE ALPHABET
• PASKUTINIS ATSISVEIKINIMAS SU KUKUČIU
• A LAST FAREWELL TO KUKUTIS
• Translator’s Notes
• Biographical Notes