Each year, no more than 12 Government Prizes for Culture and Arts are awarded. The prizes are granted to Lithuanian cultural and artistic creators and figures, including members of the Lithuanian diaspora worldwide, for their significant contribution to culture and the arts and for exceptional achievements in this field. The Government Prizes for Culture and Arts have been awarded since 1997. This year, the Government Commission for Culture and Arts selected 12 laureates from among 60 nominated candidates.
“In an unstable and often unsettled world, the importance of culture and the arts is only growing. Creators allow us to see the world differently – through a more perceptive gaze, through the unique lens of culture and art – and sometimes they simply return us to enduring truths and uplifting beauty that never lose their significance. We are pleased and proud of all laureates of the Government Prizes for Culture and Arts. Please continue to create, enlighten and inspire viewers, readers, listeners and everyone who is touched by your work,” said Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė.
This recognition is particularly significant for Klaipeda University, as it once again confirms the contribution of the University’s academic community to the field of Lithuanian culture and the humanities. The work of Associate Professor Dr Marijus Šidlauskas—his research in literature, literary criticism, essays, translations and many years of teaching students—has made a meaningful contribution to strengthening humanities studies and fostering cultural dialogue in Klaipėda and throughout Lithuania.
The Rector of Klaipeda University, Professor Dr Artūras Razbadauskas, emphasized that this award is important for the entire university community:
“We are proud that scholars working at Klaipeda University receive national recognition. The work of Associate Professor Dr Marijus Šidlauskas demonstrates that the University is not only a centre of research but also a space of living culture. Such recognition strengthens our community and reminds us of the important mission the University carries out in nurturing humanistic thought, language and culture.”
About Associate Professor Dr Marijus Šidlauskas
Originally from the Klaipėda region, Marijus Šidlauskas completed his studies in English Philology at Vilnius University and moved to Klaipėda in 1976. From 1985 to 1991 he taught English language and Lithuanian literature at the Klaipėda Faculty of the Vilnius Conservatoire, and since 1991 he has taught Lithuanian literature at Klaipeda University. In 1993 he became an Associate Professor. Among the main courses he taught are: Lithuanian Literature of the Late 19th–20th Century; Introduction to Literary Theory; and Sociology of Literature (for master’s students). He also supervised numerous bachelor’s and master’s theses.
Marijus Šidlauskas prepared and published the monograph Poetas ir visuomenė XIX–XX a. sankirtoje (The Poet and Society at the Turn of the 19th–20th Century, 1994), the collection of essays Orfėjas mokėjo lietuviškai (Orpheus Spoke Lithuanian, 2006), the book of conversations Vartai į abi puses: Viktoriją Daujotytę kalbina Marijus Šidlauskas (Gates in Both Directions: Viktorija Daujotytė in Conversation with Marijus Šidlauskas, 2015), the collective monograph Krikščionybė ir šiuolaikinė lietuvių literatūra (Christianity and Contemporary Lithuanian Literature, together with Dalia Čiočytė, Asta Gustainienė and Dalia Jakaitė, 2018), and the collection of essays Kairiarankio kentauro pėdomis (In the Footsteps of the Left-Handed Centaur, 2023). He also translated Terry Eagleton’s monograph Literary Theory: An Introduction (2000) and John Naughton’s study A Brief History of the Future (together with Vida Kalpokaitė, 2006).
For his work in literary criticism and essay writing, Associate Professor Dr Marijus Šidlauskas has received three awards: the Jotvingiai Prize (1996), the Ieva Simonaitytė Literary Prize (2008), and the Vytautas Kubilius Prize (2014).
Colleagues from the Department of Philology at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities of Klaipeda University speak very warmly about Dr Šidlauskas:
“Idealists are the salt of the earth. Marijus Šidlauskas undoubtedly belongs to this rare category of people so vital to society and culture. He is an intellectual, a talent with an exceptional literary ear, an aristocrat of language and simply a warm-hearted person. Our colleague in the Department, whose loyalty to his parents’ land, language, culture and, of course, literature surpasses ordinary human limits. He is a personality marked by remarkable inner harmony and a deep moral commitment to himself and to others. Never pushing himself forward, never chasing titles or awards, yet elevated by the strength of his talent—both professional and human.”
