Dominykas Matulionis is a prose writer, film director, one of the founders and publishers of the experimental literary magazine “Gegutė“. This young artist is a familiar face to the community of the International Centre for Writers and Translators.
Dominykas’ first acquaintance with the International Centre for Translators and Writers took place in autumn 2024, during the „Prozos Krantas“ Literature Festival workshop (International cooperation in Nida: Lithuanian translators and foreign writers), which included creative sessions, translations of texts, and discussions about international cooperation with young Lithuanian and foreign writers and translators.
We talked to the talented artist about his work, the literary experiment “Gegutė”, his residency in Nida and the books that are worth opening.
How did your relationship with the International Centre for Translators and Writers begin?
I found myself in residence during a workshop organised by the Klaipėda Writers’ Union at the „Prozos krantas“ festival. I remember that I left that day with the wish to bring more writers and translators… I went to Nida as a vacation, so there were hardly any thoughts during the residency. For me, Nida is peace, so I tried not to disturb that peace with my thoughts.
What are you currently writing, researching or creating?
I’m currently waiting for my first book of short stories, “8 Creatures”, which will be published in autumn. I’m also still trying to finish a manuscript for teenagers – “You are my Tramadol”. I keep trying and trying. We’ll see how it goes.
Tell us about your creative day. Do you have any rituals or ways of “entering” your creative state?
My creative day used to look like this: drink a pot of coffee, smoke two cigarettes, sit down and write. I recently quit smoking and now I’m absolutely lost.
What inspires you – creators, phenomena, sounds, places?
I am inspired by the world. Stories. It’s rare that you get inner inspiration. I once tried to write “from the inside” – so far I find it difficult.
I would like to know more about the pre-history of the magazine “Gegutė”, how the idea was born, how it developed, what challenges did you face?
D. Preišegalavičius and I had conceived the magazine Gegutė as a new platform for the unity of text and form. (One of them – “Grim and Gamma” – can be seen in the July-August issue of this year’s “Nemunas” magazine; and several of the texts have also made their way into the forthcoming book.) At the same time, it was important to play and experiment, to “bim baminti”. The texts of “Cuckoo” had to convey that “bim bam” feeling. We published the first issue for a year and a half. The hardest thing was to find the money for the paper. „Hands on Press“ undertook to do the design free of charge – it was a celebration. The first issue was the most “crazy” and the closest I personally have come to that healthy madness. The second one, “Gegutė”, has a structure, a theme. Now we will publish the third one (the issues in PDF format can be seen here: https://cuckoo.lt/). The magazine itself is slowly maturing, but it hasn’t lost that freshness and “bim bam” feeling. We give authors a theme and tell them to write something new, to play around. I think these experiments are useful and brighten up the Lithuanian literary field. Thank you to KCCC, who are supporting the second issue.
In your opinion, what is the place of literature in society today?
It is difficult to grasp the place of literature in society today – it has long ceased to have a direct impact on political or ideological life. Perhaps nowadays it reflects and helps us to understand ourselves and each other more. Literature is now – more than ever – needed for self-education and intellectual stimulation. It is better to think that way than to repeat that nobody reads any more. Although that is also partly true.
Do you notice how the form, language or themes of your work change when working in different spaces or contexts?
Working in different spaces can give you different inspirations, but the work itself, if you have an idea, depends very little on the space. That’s what I wish for everyone who comes to Nida: ideas. Whether for texts, life or dreams. Just – new ideas.
What publications or works would you recommend to readers?
I would recommend to readers the newly published “The Story of a Poser, Justinas Mikutis”, which covers the biography of the unjustly forgotten idler and intellectual whose ideas inspired generations of artists. There is much light to be found in the life of this outsider.
Here are the lines of his favourite poem “De profundis” by his favourite poet, G. Traklis:
I am a shadow of the gardens that are darkening.
God’s silence
I drank from a well in the grove.
I would also recommend taking a look around “Gegutė” to meet the young writers. From the classics, my reads this summer are Graham Greene and Fernando Pessoa.
We thank Dominykas for his answers, and readers are invited to look for the latest limited edition of “Cuckoo” at the MO Museum and the Klaipėda Cultural Communication Centre. If you missed the chance to buy the first issues, you can read them here: https://cuckoo.lt/
Interviewed by Brigita Dereškaitė, Senior Methodologist for Residency Activities,
Klaipėda County Ieva Simonaitytė Public Library
