Aldona Gustas
Encyclopedia
Aldona Gustas is a female Lithuania
n – German
poet and illustrator who has lived in Berlin
since the early 1940s.
, but she and her mother fled then Russian-occupied Lithuania in 1941, when her father was seized and deported to Siberia
. She and her mother settled in Berlin
where she has lived ever since.
Gustas made her literary debut in 1962 with a book of poetry, "Nachtstraßen" (Night Streets), published by Eremitenpresse. Between 1962 and 1980 she published eleven poetry books and several anthologies. Many of her poetry books also feature her drawings and graphics. Her texts have been translated into Lithuanian, Italian, Spanish, French, Russian, Polish and American English.
In 1972 Gustas co-founded an important artistic forum in West Berlin, the "Berliner Malerpoeten" (Berlin painter/poets), a group of artists who both wrote and illustrated their works. This group included Günter Grass
, Günter Bruno Fuchs and Wolfdietrich Schnurre
.
In 1997 Gustas received the Rahel Varnhagen
Medal. She is a member of the Varnhagen Society and Association of German Writers (VS). She is married to historian Georg Holmsten.
, modelling the landscape of her childhood in the poetic form. This fairytale landscape contributes to an epic sense of fantasy and dynamic interaction between nature and society. She has been cited as saying that in her works, she dwells in a city that grows in the forest; where nature spirits lurk behind each tree; where the moon strums a guitar; and where blue blossoms grow in underground garages.
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n – German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
poet and illustrator who has lived in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
since the early 1940s.
Biography
Gustas was born in the Lithuanian village of Karceviškiai in 1932. Her family lived for some time in VilniusVilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
, but she and her mother fled then Russian-occupied Lithuania in 1941, when her father was seized and deported to Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
. She and her mother settled in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
where she has lived ever since.
Gustas made her literary debut in 1962 with a book of poetry, "Nachtstraßen" (Night Streets), published by Eremitenpresse. Between 1962 and 1980 she published eleven poetry books and several anthologies. Many of her poetry books also feature her drawings and graphics. Her texts have been translated into Lithuanian, Italian, Spanish, French, Russian, Polish and American English.
In 1972 Gustas co-founded an important artistic forum in West Berlin, the "Berliner Malerpoeten" (Berlin painter/poets), a group of artists who both wrote and illustrated their works. This group included Günter Grass
Günter Grass
Günter Wilhelm Grass is a Nobel Prize-winning German author, poet, playwright, sculptor and artist.He was born in the Free City of Danzig...
, Günter Bruno Fuchs and Wolfdietrich Schnurre
Wolfdietrich Schnurre
Wolfdietrich Schnurre was a German writer.Schnurre was an important literary figure of post-war West Germany...
.
In 1997 Gustas received the Rahel Varnhagen
Rahel Varnhagen
Rahel Antonie Friederike Varnhagen née Levin later Robert was a German-Jewish writer who hosted one of the most prominent salons in Europe during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. She is the subject of a celebrated biography, Rahel Varnhagen: The Life of a Jewess written by Hannah Arendt...
Medal. She is a member of the Varnhagen Society and Association of German Writers (VS). She is married to historian Georg Holmsten.
Style
The central theme of Gustas' poetry is love and playful eroticism in a utopian world of fantasy. She often draws upon references to elements such as clouds, swans, sea gulls, flowers, swimming fish, stars etc., but often with laconic phrasing. Gustas is very much a feminist poet and many of her poems are deeply personal and almost autobiographical, marking her as distinct from other contemporary German poets, not only in her ethnicity but in her subject matter. Her verses are often less sophisticated than those of other poets, with subjective sensations and exploring her interaction with the environment, often in paradoxical formulations. Gustas makes frequent references to Lithuanian "dainos" and folktalesLithuanian mythology
Lithuanian mythology is an example of Baltic mythology, developed by Lithuanians throughout the centuries.-History of scholarship:Surviving information about Baltic paganism in general is very sketchy and incomplete. As with most ancient Indo-European cultures Lithuanian mythology is an example of...
, modelling the landscape of her childhood in the poetic form. This fairytale landscape contributes to an epic sense of fantasy and dynamic interaction between nature and society. She has been cited as saying that in her works, she dwells in a city that grows in the forest; where nature spirits lurk behind each tree; where the moon strums a guitar; and where blue blossoms grow in underground garages.
Literature
- Theo BreuerTheo BreuerTheo Breuer is a German poet, essayist, editor, translator and publisher.-Life and work:...
, Aldona Gustas, Jetzt (In: T.B., Ohne Punkt & Komma. Lyrik in den 90er Jahren (1999) - Hendrik Liersch (Hg.), Festschrift zum 70. Geburtstag von Aldona Gustas (2002)