Selection “Dar būšiu”: today, unfortunately, no one writes like that anymore | Culture

This is a book for those who miss strong, effective and pure poetic words. It is for this reason that L. Jakimavičius’ texts are often compared with the works of the classics who truly shaped his poetic voice – Marcelijus Martinaitis, Jonas Strielkūnas or Sigitas Geda.

“Through poetry, a person reconciles and comes to terms with the world”, – this is how L. Jakimavičius himself described his work, whose recently published collection “Dar pobūšiu” we read together with the compilers S. Kanovičius and V. Gasiliūnas.

– Sergej, how did you come up with the idea to release the national team of L. Jakimavičius and thus remember your friend? After all, today poetry probably remains a matter for the group’s literary gourmands.

– Such an idea arose when escorting Ludvik on his last journey. Not only because I am his friend or because he was the godfather of my poetic attempts during my college years. I sincerely believe that Ludvikas is one of the most original poets of our generation, so his work should not be forgotten or become a few poor lines in academic articles or encyclopedias. I really want Ludvik’s poetic voice to be heard even after he is gone.

Poetry has always been read by those who appreciated it. Perhaps such people have decreased significantly, but good poetry has not suffered as a result. I often notice that when someone starts quoting a writer who has left us, everyone sighs and says with a kind of longing: “today, unfortunately, no one writes like that anymore.” Ludvik’s poetry is exactly like that.

– Virginius, perhaps it is not so easy (or maybe just) to compile a friend’s book after his death. What was the most important thing for you when collecting the texts for the collection “I’ll be there”?

– It would have been better, much better, if there was no need to compile this team, if Ludvik could have prepared it himself. But it is as it is. Simple or extraordinary – I don’t even know. You feel responsible – yes, but that responsibility can only oppress and help – in no way. You just read and decide – this poem, in your understanding, is strong, affects you, therefore, it is worth adding to the collection, and this one – mmmm, not so much. The starting point is very simple – your understanding of how good a poem is (the dictionary records as many as nine meanings of this adjective). Moreover, it can be suspected that the poetic tastes of the author and the compilers of both of his posthumous collections of poems were, to put it mildly, similar.

– L. Jakimavičius’s poetic world is very fragile, but at the same time, seemingly unpoetic people and things “work” so beautifully in it – dispatcher, surveyor or cranes. Readers often compare his work with the texts of M. Martinaitis or J. Strielkūnas – poetry of the highest quality. “I’ll be there” – for those readers who are looking for a pure, strong and effective word among various modern experiments. Sergej, what comes to your mind first when you think about L. Jakimavičius’ creative path?

– For me, Ludvik is, first of all, a poet with unexpected lyrical heroes, seemingly in completely non-poetic situations. This is the source of peculiar metaphors balancing on the edge of absurdity, unique to Ludvik, or his favorite reverse mirror effect, when a person can look at a mirror and see a bird or vice versa. Apart from the poets you mentioned, I think that the poetic speech of Sigit Geda may have had a greater influence on Ludvik. You have very accurately noticed another feature of Ludwig’s poetry – the fragility of the moment and the person. He didn’t know how to “bake” poems – a false word belongs to another genre, Ludvik’s word was felt and experienced.

– Probably, working with the national team also awakened various memories and stories. Ludvikas is a classmate, comrade, friend, what comes to mind first?

Sergey. A great poet and friend with amazing kindness, a unique sense of humor, naive childlike gullibility, who could not lie and who loved Lithuania immensely. All my memories related to him could testify to that. It’s better to read the stories I don’t remember, let’s read Ludvik’s poetry, let’s let him stay with us.

Virginia. While reading Ludvik’s poems again, I don’t know why, Dočys from Alksnynai Ž. With this nickname, Ludvikas used to sign humorous works. Anyway, it is quite rare that both serious and non-serious texts written by the same person are equally effective. For example, “Legends of Firefighters” based on absurd poetics, and throat-squeezing obituaries of dead writers. Ludvik was really good at managing various ways of speaking – poetic, humorous, essayistic, journalistic. They were not pure, a little mixed, but that’s only for good health. Such texts are more alive. And more. Apparently, I have decided which poem by Ludwig is the most important to me. Without title.

Those little stops

where trains don’t stop

the most beautiful

like those women

standing in the morning mist –

yellow stick

accompanying away

balding

our lives.