From the event page:

Ask any well-read Lithuanian who completed high school after 2002 which work of literature they remember best from their studies and you are almost guaranteed to hear,
“Antanas Škėma’s White Shroud – that’s my favourite novel!”- says the introduction to the ‘White Shroud’.

In order to acquaint yourself with this translated fiction book, published by a Scottish publisher Vagabond Press in 2018 please come to the series of bespoke evenings in London, Glasgow and Edinburgh of indie-folk music and readings. The evening is crafted in mind with and dedicated to the cult book ‘White Shroud” by a Lithuanian avant-guarde writer from mid 20th century Antanas Škėma, who lived and worked in New York. Translated by Karla Gruodis ‘The White Shroud’ retains it’s cult quality as the translation is superb.

As one of the most important progressive Berlin based dailies TAZ wrote about ‘White Shroud’ - “It's amazing how current this novel still feels. Škėma can be ironic and sarcastic, but also existentially serious and even sentimental. This novel is no simple singalong tune, but rather a highly polyphonic symphony; indeed, a polyphony that is a pleasure to experience.” Jochen Schimmang, taz

In ‘White Shroud’ Škėma’s multiple narratives and voices compose the stream-of-consciousness telling the story of an émigré poet working as an elevator operator in a large New York hotel during the mid-1950s. This polyphony of voices, dotted by Lithuanian folk songs in the series of events will be reflected and interpreted by the talented musicians Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė and Bert Cool from MEROPE band who promise put you in a some sort of trance, where boundaries between the here and now and there and then start to blur, revoking the melancholic existential context of the exile literature. Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė - Lithuanian kankles (zither) player and singer. Her music combines the traditions of her native land and the sounds of various cultures and contemporary styles. The quiet minimalism of Lithuanian folklore and creative improvisation of Indrė’s music opened possibilities for successful international projects, including the folk indie band Merope and award winning duo 'Solo & Indrė' with Senegalese kora master Solo Cissokho. Bert Cools - guitar player and sound artist from Antwerp, Belgium, mainly active in the improvisation and electronic music scene of Europe. This duo of Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė and Bert Cools will be performing at an event dedicated to ‘White Shroud’. Limited edition postcards designed by an artist and fashion designer Elena Guchas will also be exhibited.

Notes to editors:

Karla Gruodis is a translator, editor, and artist based in Vilnius, where she founded and edited Lithuania's first English-language newspaper, The Lithuanian Review, in 1990. She is the editor and author of Feminist Excursus: The Concept of Woman from Antiquity to Postmodernism (Pradai, 1995), and was active in the post-Soviet Lithuanian women’s movement. Her translations include Leonidas Donskis’s A Small Map of Experience: Aphorisms and Reflections (Guernica, 2013), Antanas Škėma’s White Shroud (Vagabond Voices, 2018), Sigitas Parulskis’s Darkness and Company (Peter Owen, 2018), and Irena Veisaitė/Aurimas Švedas’s Life Should Be Transparent (CEU Press, forthcoming).

Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė - Lithuanian kankles (zither) player and singer, whose music harmoniously combines the traditions of her native land and the sounds of various cultures and contemporary styles. The quiet minimalism of Lithuanian folklore and creative improvisation of Indrė’s music opened possibilities for successful international projects, including the folk indie band Merope and award winning duo 'Solo & Indrė' with Senegalese kora master Solo Cissokho. In Belgium Indrė is involved in alternative jazz projects “Book of Air: ‘Fieldtone and vvolk’, and her work is represented by the art platform 'granvat'. Recently Indrė joined the international early music ensemble ''Ratas del viejo Mundo'' leaded by lute player Floris de Rycker. As a creative and versatile performer Indrė can often be seen in jazz, folk, classical, choral, contemporary and alternative music festivals, playing as a solo artist or with different ensembles, and caught in the whirlwind of new ideas.

Bert Cools - guitar player and sound artist from Antwerp, Belgium, mainly active in the improvisation and electronic music scene of Europe. He plays as a solo artist, composes for his own bands: Merope, Hoera, Book of Air: vvolk and Fieldtone, also works with theater and multimedia projects. In 2010 he got Erasmus Jazz prize as the best musician from Codarts, Rotterdam. In 2011 together with his brother Stijn Cools he created the art platform granvat.com. With 'granvat' Bert found a unique space in the art world, ranging from folk and jazz to more cutting edge electronic music, producing various releases and events worldwide.

Partners of the event:
Lithuanian Culture Institute
Golden HARE BOOKS
Savings Bank, Glasgow

The book will be also available for purchase during the event.

The event is free but space is limited. Please RSVP to rsvp@burleyfisherbooks.com to attend.