He was born in 1953 in weston, ontario the son of lithuanianborn parents after completing an english degree at the university of toronto, he moved to paris for two years and there married his wife, snaige sileika nee valiunas, an art student at the ecole des beauxarts. Nov 08, 2011 a historical novel by antanas sileika. The story is set in the underground resistance to the. Bravo, sileika, for capturing this struggle for artistic integrity in a compelling and highly readable novel. The question is an example of the elegant thinking that characterizes this rare and compelling chronicle. Antanas sileika, in his new novel underground, has the additional complication of writing about a subject matter that is near and dear to his own heritage. Underground, by antanas sileika the globe and mail. Notes from the underground of antanas sileikas life cbc news. Heres a link to an article about the novels background in lithuanian as well as an interview with tomas donela, who has optioned the film rights. His second book, a collection of linked short stories, buying on time 1997 was nominated for both the city of toronto book. Underground is both a personal exploration of hunts obsession and a panoramic study of how we are all connected to the underground, how caves and other dark hollows have frightened and enchanted us through the ages.
His fourth novel, underground, a love story set in the underground resistance to the soviet union in the forties, will appear in the spring of. The second world war and the cold war in two novels by. It was another perspective, a more heroic one, perhaps than that offered by by sofi oksanen in her book about estonia, purge which was very powerful and much darker. Revisit the era when mothers in print dresses performed the arcane ritual of mixing the colour dot into the margarine, fathers filled every room of the house in weston with tobacco smoke, and all the riches of america were to be had by buying on time. March 20, 2011 antanas sileika alexander prusins the lands between is a study of the lands between germany and czarist and soviet russian from 1870 to 1992.
With their departure, the dream of an education seems viable again, and lukas and his younger brother, vincentas, abandon the family farm on the edge of the jewish pine forest. Antanas sileika is the author of two novels and one collection of linked short stories, buying on time, which was nominated for both the city of toronto book. The novel was a love story set in the underground resistance to the soviet union in the late 1940s. Opening with the retreat of the germans at the end of the second world war. The protagonist lukas walks thin line separating benevolence from savagery. Antanas sileika s third novel begins with a tense, cinematic scene in the lithuanian city of marijampole.
Nov 25, 2012 january 4, 2012 antanas sileika just as i thought i was moving on to a new page in literary subject matter, the postwar partisan story has taken another turn with the launch of a fresh polemic against these underground resisters of soviet occupation in lithuania. The year is 1946, and elena and lukas, members of the lithuanian resistance, have invited a group of senior soviet officials to their engagement party. The map above, of the polishlithuanian commonwealth, loosely covers the area that both he and timothy snyder write about. Entertaining and sometimes shocking, the book describes a littleknown. Jun 27, 2019 antanas sileika is the author of five books of fiction and a memoir. Underground by sileika antanas overdrive rakuten overdrive. Canadian lithuanian author antanas sileika s critically acclaimed novel underground is a fictionalized account of the little known lithuanian partisan struggle after world war ii. Antanas sileika chose a different quote from stefan zweigs the world of yesterday to open his new novel, although he could as well have picked this one to introduce provisionally yours and its. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading underground. Notes from the underground of antanas sileikas life. A novel by antanas sileika feb 26 2011 by from amazons fiction books store.
Antanas sileika is the author of five books of fiction and a memoir. Jan 01, 2011 antanas sileika s underground is very readable historical fiction focused on a little known topic. Antanas sileika antanas sileika is a canadianlithuanian novelist and critic. It looks like cruelty of this resistance will lead to the dehumanization of lukas. Antanas sileika antanas sileika is a canadian novelist and critic of lithuanianborn parents. In this novel the author tells the love story of lukas and elena, two members of the underground lithuanian resistance movement which itself began in the mid 1940s and did not end until about 1953nine years after lithuanias second occupation. Antanas sileika s novel underground shines some light on resistance movement against soviet occupation in lithuania during and after the second world war largely unknown to the west. Donna bailey nurse is a toronto editor and writer and a frequent contributor to globe books. Read underground a novel by antanas sileika available from rakuten kobo. Underground by antanas sileika, 9780887627361, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Entertaining and sometimes shocking, the book describes a littleknown period of european history that has been kept underground far too long. Antanas sileikas novel underground shines some light on resistance movement against soviet occupation in lithuania during and after the second world war largely unknown to the west. Underground a conversation with antanas sileika about his. The book traces the lives of a family of immigrants to a canadian suburb between the fifties and seventies.
Woman in bronze, his 2004 novel, was a globe and mail best book. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. Sileika writes with a spare style that suits the action sequences as well as the rare moments of tenderness or humour. Monika urged him to be patient, as her uncle tried to get him a meeting with someone from the sdece. The hard copy of the newspaper has a large sketch of me labelled irresistible. Praise for antanas sileika how are we going to survive unless we turn our hearts to stone.
His novel, underground, appeared from thomas allen in 2011. It is a formidable work of history that deals with the deliberate mass murder of civilians in the territory that covers eastern poland, ukraine, belarus and. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. Underground a conversation with antanas sileika about his latest novel. Antanas sileika s theme is the underground nature of stories, how they can bubble up from both open and hidden sources, and the many ironies they impart to our lives. Listed as one of the best books of 2011 by canadas globe and mail, underground is sileika s fourth novel. May 7, 2011 antanas sileika its been a busy week of literary appearances, most of them for my novel, underground.
Woman in bronze by sileika, antanas and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Thomas allen, 2011 is the latest novel by antanas sileika about the lithuanian antisoviet underground resistance in the 1940s based on true events. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The rewards for tackling obscure history in fiction are many, but so are the challenges. Mar 25, 2011 antanas sileikas 1997 collection of linked stories, buying on time, about a family of postwar lithuanian immigrants coming to terms with the newly created suburbs of toronto, was characterized. We sold a record number of books 2 and had a quick bingo game, won by my humber replacement, the incoming david bezmozgis, who tok home a mickey of crown royal whiskey. His work has appeared on cbc radio and in publications from saturday night to the globe and mail.
My knowledge about the baltic countries is rather limited, so i was eager to read a book from the region and underground was the right thing for me the reason why it interested me as much as it did is because it gave a historical view of the country, as is the. Underground9781771962858, dinner at the end of the world9781543628647, antanas sileika9788890863738, the music of the plants9788890863776, the barefoot bingo caller9780889841864, spirals of energy, the ancient art of selfica9781525236525, etc. Free shipping and pickup in store on eligible orders. Underground, antanas sileika s 2011 book, is the second of his lithuanian historical novels. Antanas sileika is the author of four books of fiction, and has been. Antanas sileika is the author of two novels and one collection of linked short stories, buying on time, which was nominated for both the city of toronto book award and the stephen leacock award for humour. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the barefoot bingo caller.
Antanas sileika launches underground at ben mcnally books torontos literati gathered on thursday to celebrate the launch of antanas sileika s third novel, underground thomas allen publishers, a love story set against the backdrop of the lithuanian resistance following the. After completing an english degree at the university of toronto, he moved to paris for two years and there married his wife, snaige sileika nee valiunas, an art student at the ecole des beauxarts. Antanas sileika s 1997 collection of linked stories, buying on time, about a family of postwar lithuanian immigrants coming to terms with the newly created. And even after it began to move, it sputtered to a stop again because few seemed to be very interested in lithuania, let alone the lithuanian partisans. I thought of this incident when i read antanas sileikas novel, underground, which was just listed as one of the globe and mails best books of. Feb 26, 2011 the author admits to having used the outline of the luksa story for underground. It was good to learn about the history of lithuania, the struggles of ww2 and the postwar experience under communism.
Underground book edmonton public library bibliocommons. I found this book quite interesting and informative. After shooting up a room full of soviet government workers during their engagement party, lukas and elena become folk. He read a scene that seemingly revealed one of the central themes of the book. Antanas sileika and i must have been reading timothy snyders bloodlands. His last novel, woman in bronze, was a globe and mail best book selection. His fourth novel, underground, a love story set in the underground resistance to the soviet union in the forties, will appear in the spring of 2011. As for the novel itself, its available from the publisher at the link here for details of the book fair, see my blog post. The question is an example of the elegant thinking that characterizes this rare and compelling chronicle of lithuanian partisans and. Underground by antanas sileika overdrive rakuten overdrive. Apr 08, 2011 a comrade warns the hero of antanas sileika s underground. Artistic director for the humber school for writers, antanas sileika is the author of two previous novels and a collection of linked short stories, buying on time, finalist for the city of toronto book award and a stephen leacock award for humour.
Sileika s historical novel recounts the love story of lukas and elena, two members of the lithuanian resistance during the first years of the soviet occupation. November 25, 2012 antanas sileika the lithuanian translation of underground, called pogrindis, appeared in lithuania in 20. Europe between hitler and stalin at about the same time and for more or less the same reasons. Underground by antanas sileika goodreads share book. I thoroughly enjoyed underground by antanas sileika. At the centre of the novel is lukas and elena, both members of the resistance who have a past full of tragedy and a future that doesnt look very promising either. Woman in bronze by antanas sileika abebooks passion for books. On thursday, april 27, i was at the north york public library in front of a small crowd of twenty or so who peppered me with questions on the research for underground as well as some of my older books. The lithuanian translation of underground, called pogrindis, appeared in lithuania in 20. Sileikas books as post postmodern historical novels 2007. Provisionally yours postwar novel is a story of the. Shop amongst our popular books, including 7, the barefoot bingo caller, underground and more from antanas sileika.
Underground ebook by antanas sileika 9780887628320. Buy underground by sileika, antanas from amazons fiction books store. The barefoot bingo caller, a novel by antanas sileika. Woman in bronze, the third novel from canadian antanas sileika, is a wonderfully engaging story of a young artists extraordinary journey from wartorn europe to bohemian paris during the roaring 20s. Book awards book club selections books by author books by series coming soon kids books new releases teens books this months biggest new releases. Early in this urbane thriller set in postwwi lithuania from canadian author sileika underground, former white russian counterintelligence officer justas adamonis returns to his hometown of. As for antanas sileika, a child of lithuanian immigrants, he has written a tough, uncompromising book and brought those forgotten stories back to life. Underground book ottawa public library bibliocommons. Inspired by true events, underground tells the story of a troubled romance between lukas and elena, two members of the underground lithuanian resistance movement in mid 1940s. Buying on time by antanas sileika and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Author antanas sileika to read from new novel underground. The world that her uncle operated in, one of backchannel french contacts, moved very slowly. A novel by antanas sileika is a complicated love story inspired by true events that takes place in lithuania during the 1940s as the underground resistance fights the communist takeover.
Author information antanas sileika is the author of two novels and one collection of linked short stories, buying on time, which was nominated for both the city of toronto book award and the stephen leacock award for humour. A tragic love triangle set in a forgotten place during an invisible war. Underground read online free book by antanas sileika in. November 26, 2011 antanas sileika it was so great to find underground listed in the globe and mail as one of the 100 best books of 2011. He has been shortlisted for the toronto book award and the leacock medal for humour as well as longlisted for canada reads. Woman in bronze, dinner at the end of the world, and buying on time, about a. See all books authored by antanas sileika, including the barefoot bingo caller, and buying on time, and more on thriftbooks. May 23, 2017 antanas sileika it was a fun book launch, more like a wedding, many said, with a jazz trio and food and liquor and almost three hundred people. After shooting up a room full of soviet government workers during their engagement party, lukas. Inspired by true events, underground tells the story of a troubled romance between lukas and elena, two members of the undergrou. Antanas sileika is a freelance broadcaster and magazine and newspaper writer as well as a fiction writer.
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