Life should be Transparent Conversations about Lithuania and Europe in the Twentieth Century and Today / Aurima Švedas, Irena Veisaitė ; translated from the Lithuanian by Karla Gruodis.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Švedas, Aurimas, interviewer.

Contributor:

Gruodis, Karla, translator.

Veisaitė, Irena, interviewee.

Standardized Title:

Irena Veisaitė. English

Language:

English

Lithuanian

Subjects (All):

Veisaite, Irena.

Holocaust survivors--Lithuania--Biography.

Holocaust survivors.

Jews--Lithuania--Biography.

Jews.

College teachers--Lithuania--Biography.

College teachers.

Theater critics--Lithuania--Interviews.

Theater critics.

Theater critics--Lithuania--Biography.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Edition:

1st ed.

Manufacture:

Baltimore, Md. : Project MUSE, 2020

Place of Publication:

New York : Central European University Press, 2020.

Summary:

"This book of thirteen conversations introduces us to the life of an exceptional person-theatre critic, Germanist, and long-time chair of the Open Lithuania Fund board Irena Veisaitė. The dialogue between Lithuanian historian Aurimas Švedas and a woman who reflects deeply on her experiences reveals both one individual's historically dramatic life and the fate of Europe and Lithuania in the twentieth century. Through the complementary lenses of history and memory, we confront with Veisaitė the horrific events of the Holocaust, which brought about the end of the Lithuanian Jewish world. We also meet an array of world-class cultural figures, see fragments of legendary theatre performances, and hear meaningful words that were spoken or heard decades ago. This book's interlocutors do not so much seek to answer the question "What was it like?" but instead repeatedly ask each other: "What, how, and why do we remember? What is the meaning of our experiences? How can history help us to live in the present and create the future? How do we learn to understand and forgive?" A series of Veisaitė's texts, statements, and letters, presented at the end of the book suggest further ways of answering these questions"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

Introduction. Engaging Memory and History

Acknowledgements

Conversation I. Life Should Be Transparent

Conversation II. We Could All See That Lithuania Was Trapped

Conversation III. What Had Happened to the World?

Conversation IV. To Forgive and Build the Future—These Are the Duties of the Living

Conversation V. I Was Surrounded by Very Good People

Conversation VI. I Needed a Change

Conversation VII. I Saw My Work as a Kind of Mission

Conversation VIII. The Theatre Suits My Interests and Temperament Perfectly

Conversation IX. People Developed Close Relationships within “Islands”

Conversation X. Why Was Faust Redeemed, Even After Making a Pact with the Devil?

Conversation XI. I Felt a Powerful Connection with My Spiritual Brothers

Conversation XII. I Regret Nothing, But I Continue to Pay Dearly for My Decisions

Conversation XIII. It Is Probably Only Possible to Feel a Part of History Once in One’s Lifetime

In Lieu of an Epilogue. More and More Questions, But Fewer and Fewer Answers

Appendices. Voices from the Past

Appendix I. What Questions Matter the Most to Me Now?

Appendix II. Texts and Statements

Appendix III. Letters

Appendix IV. Post Scriptum

Key Biographical Events

Photos

Index

Notes:

Includes index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-003-72051-X

963-386-359-7

9781003720515

OCLC:

1196891153