Perhaps this is because four books on Tibet are too many for one small nation. Or perhaps it is because literary criticism is a poorly paid profession in Lithuania today. Early Ivanauskait translated The recession has dealt a strong blow to the book trade, which was booming until last year. The most widely respected publishers in Lithuania, Tyto Alba hoped to publish ten books in June. It could find the funds to publish only two.
Young people have no possibility to read.
There are no book clubs, and certainly no tradition of ordering books through the Internet. Hope for Ivanauskait lies in translation. However, the Stephen Spender Memorial Trust recently expressed an interest in funding the translation and publication of three contemporary Lithuanian novels in English. It is because of the courage of her individuality and scope of vision within the confines of a small country, as much as her writing skills, that Jurga Ivanauskait should be the first choice to represent the literature of today's Lithuania. He is Editor of Discover English , a magazine for students and teachers of English in Lithuania.