Kęstutis Nastopka, a well-known literary scholar and semiotician, died Culture

K. Nastopka was born on March 18, 1940. in Kaunas. Studied at Biržai 2nd secondary school.

in 1962 graduated from Lithuanian studies at Vilnius University. 1962-1965 interned at Riga University, and in 1966-1972 was a junior researcher at the Institute of Lithuanian Language and Literature.

Since 1972 he worked as a lecturer at the Faculty of Lithuanian Studies at the Vilnius Pedagogical Institute, 1989-1991. Departments of Lithuanian and foreign literature, 1991–1996. Head of the Department of Universal Literature.

in 1986 became a doctor of philology.

Julius Kalinskos / 15min photo / Kęstutis Nastopka

Since 1992 taught at Vilnius University, 1998-2005 Head of the Department of Literary Theory (Literary Theory and History since 2002), 2007-2008. Head of the Center for AJ Graham Semiotic Studies.

Member of the Lithuanian Writers’ Union – since 1971.

K. Nastopka wrote several books dedicated to literary theory: the study “Lithuanian and Latvian Literary Relations” (1971), “Structural Analysis of a Poem” (1972), the monograph “Poetika of Lithuanian Poems: 20th Century” (1985), “Išprūstanti šinė” ( 1991), “Poetics of meanings: tests of semiotics” (2002), “Semiotics of literature” (2010), “Listening” (2020).

In his works, he devoted considerable attention to popularizing the works and ideas of the world-famous semiotician AJ Greim in Lithuania. K. Nastopka compiled and prepared his books “The Search for Fear” (1999) and “Lituvian Mythological Studies” (2005), translated the book “Structural Semantics: The Search for Method” (2005).

According to Vilnius University associate professor, Kęstutis Nastopka’s student, colleague and friend Jurga Katkuvienė, the works of this literary scholar and professor have become an inseparable part of the history of our literature, culture and academic field.

Irmantos Gelūnos/BNS photo/Kęstutis Nastopka

Perhaps his most significant works are related to the cultivation of Lithuanian semiotics: it is his initiative and many years of effort that Vilnius University has a semiotics study program.

“In this sense, K. Nastopka’s contribution to our literary field is historical, and his works are indispensable. He was, is, and will remain a significant figure in the field of literature, having brought his own method, unique approach, and research methods to contemporary research. He himself was both a student and a teacher of Greimian semiotics”, said J. Katkuvienė.

According to her, among the works of K. Nastopka, both his translations, studies of mythology, and critical articles, mainly analyzing the 20th-21st centuries, are very important. Lithuanian poetry.

“His unique look was not only on the work of our most famous creators, such as Tomas Venclova, Marcelijus Martinaitis or Sigitas Gedas, but also on the work of lesser-known authors Jonas Juskaitis or Antanas Kalanavičius”, said J. Katkuvienė, emphasizing that these the works will become the basis of many future literary researchers.

For his work in the Soviet era, K. Nastopka was honored with several awards.

in 1997 he was awarded the Order of Three Stars, 2007 – French Order of the Cavalier of the Academic Palms, 2015 – Knight’s Cross of the Order “For Merit to Lithuania”.

in 2012 he was awarded the Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Art for the development of the world-renowned Lithuanian school of semiotics and the art of perceiving literary works.

in 2022 K. Nastopka was awarded the first prize of the Lithuanian Association of Comparative Literature for scientific research of lasting value, skillfully combining literary comparativistics and semiotics.