Readings in the Regions: Jurgis Savickis’s Work, “The Earth Is Burning”

In recent years, the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre has sought ways to strengthen its connection with audiences throughout Lithuania. One such initiative is readings of Lithuanian literature in the regions: free events at which theatre actors present works by Lithuanian authors of their choice. These gatherings take place in small towns and settlements where there are not always opportunities to stage performances, but where it is possible to create a live encounter with literature and professional performing artists. “The Earth Is Burning” is a story by LNDT actor Arūnas Vozbutas about the writer and diplomat Jurgis Savickis. Reading excerpts from his prose and from the diary he wrote during the Second World War, the actor draws listeners into the multilayered drama of human reality and memory, filled with tension and dilemmas, yet never ceasing to believe that the burning earth can put out its own flames. Historian Aurimas Švedas and playwright Mindaugas Nastaravičius also take part in the event.