»White Shroud« Sebastian Guggolz and Hans Löw

Lithuanian writer Antanas Škėma, due to his existential topics often referred to as the "Lithuanian Camus", has left Lithuania a powerful novel: »White Shroud«. It was first published in German by Guggolz Verlag in 2017.

The main character is Antanas Garšva, a Lithuanian writer in exile, who works as a liftboy in a New York hotel. Garšva, Antanas Škėma's alter ego, has fled Lithuania from the Soviets, but now quarrels with the bigoted Lithuanian culture and American consumerism. In flashbacks and contemplations he tries to make sense of his traumatic journey through life. His New York present finds him entangled in a love triangle with his lover Elena and her husband. 

German publisher Sebastian Guggolz will be presenting the novel and talk about how he has discovered it. Hamburg-based actor Hans Löw will be reading the German text.

With the friendly assistance of Lithuanian Culture Institute