Buenos Aires Voratinkliai Draikes Be Vejo by Gira, Vytautas Sirijos - 1975

Kaunas: Spaudos Fondas, 1934 Octavo, wrappers, 84pp. Vytautas Sirijos Gira (1911-1997) is known for his work as a poet, novelist and translator; his father was the famed poet Liudas Gira. The title of this poetry collection is Formaline Worms; it can also be read as Embalmed Hearts. Cover design shows constructivist influence. Rare, with only a microfiche noted by OCLC.

Print run 700 copies. Near Fine condition; due enlarged size of the cover, its fore-edge and bottom edge are slightly wrapped and show some fraying with minor tears (less than 0,5 cm), minorly damaged spine at the centre; internally few small foxing spots mainly at the beginning and at the end of the book. With Zupka inscription on the flyleaf.
The antalogy of seven young poets represents liberal wing of the catholic literature. Its editor poet Klemensas Dulkė (1909-1944) was a member of right-wing student corporation "Lietuva". After acquaintance with Vytautas Gira, in 1933 they decided to publish small literary almanac, involving several young poets in it, who had not become popular then. Gira, being an initiator of this publication, tasked Dulkė with editing work. The almanac appeared same year, and included seven young talented poets - Stasys Būdavas, Mykolas Linkevičius, Kazys Zupka (real name Kectoris), Alė Sidabraite (Žalinkevičaitė-Petrausklenė), Stepas Zobarskas, Klemensas Dulkė… Read More

First edition of the author's first collection of avant-garde poems. With a striking futurist cover design by Vytautas Kazimieras Jonynas (1907-1997), one of the most famous twentieth-century Lithuanian artists, as well as appealing typographic layout within, which corresponds to the author's interest in modernist themes such as airplanes, the cinema, radio, the city, dynamite, etc. Sirijos Gira (1911-1997) was a poet, novelist, and translator from Vilnius. The present volume was published when he was just twenty years old, right after graduating from a Jesuit school. His short poems employ diction and rhythm that is maximally close to contemporary colloquial speech. He also takes a clear stand against two 'ideological' issues: first, the prevalence of literary theory, which he discards in favor of sincerity and directness; secondly, Gira sharply rejects communism, which leads him to clash with the ideals of Trečias Frontas (Third Front), the most important second-wave avant-garde group in… Read More