Readers of Europe 2023 - Lithuanian recommendation

 

Recommendation by the Permanent Representation of Lithuania to the EU

‘Petro imperatorė I’ by Kristina Sabaliauskaitė

In the small hours of her final morning alive, a dying empress tells a story of self-preservation and survival.  

Her version is not the one you’ll find in the history books – books written by men for men. Hers is the story of an orphan, a maid, a prisoner of war, a sex slave, and the first woman to sit on the throne of the Russian Empire. 

This is not a story for the faint of heart.

Kristina Sabaliauskaitė’s historical epic ‘Petro imperatorė I’ tells the story of Catherine I, born Marta Skowrońska, the wife of Peter the Great and, after his death, briefly the Empress Regent of Russia.

This is a work of historical fiction. One criticism levelled against that genre is that it is can sometimes feel too familiar. Set in the past but using modern language and turns of phrase. That is not the case with ‘Petro imperatorė I’.

Detailed and authentic, Sabaliauskaitė paints a vivid picture for the reader, with a clear sense of place and time. All the characters with first and last names are real people from the era. The language is littered with strong Russian swear words. The stench of spattered blood and flesh and madness permeates throughout.

The story is structured around two axes – the dying empress, Catherine, recalling her life, and her younger self, Marta, carving out a life for herself from nothing.

Marta has always been a survivor. Burying her children. Living through toxic relationships. But as her story unfurls, as her relationships get more intense, and as the stakes get higher, she confronts just what it was that she is willing to sacrifice to ensure her survival.

It’s unflinching and absorbing. A brilliant novel that has been translated into several languages and recently published in French.

Kristina Sabaliauskaitė (1974) is an art historian, doctor honoris causa of Vilnius Academy of Arts and one of the most prominent contemporary Lithuanian writers. She has been based in London since 2002, where she worked for a number of years as a foreign correspondent and columnist. In 2008 she debuted with her historical novel ‘Silva Rerum’, which became a bestseller of 13 editions and was hailed as ‘a literary event’ in Lithuania. Released in 2019, ‘Petro imperatorė I’ immediately became the biggest bestseller of the past thirty years in Lithuania.

For those wishing to unearth other Lithuanian literary gems, discover more via Eureka, the online catalogue of the Council libraries.

• Lithuanian literature in Eureka

What is Readers of Europe?

The Council Library and the permanent representations to the EU have once again combined forces to feed your literary habit, with the fourth instalment of our annual Readers of Europe initiative.

The permanent representations to the EU have been invited to recommend a book from their country to read over the summer.

The theme for this year’s campaign is ‘female authors’, the idea being that every permanent representation selects a book by a female author from their country. The genre is up to the permanent representation - it could be a work by an up-and-coming author or a quintessential graphic novel, a collection from a renowned poet or an under-appreciated fantasy.

Join us as we dive into a genre-spanning list. From Hungarian poetry to Lithuanian historical fiction, Croatian family sagas to Czech mystery, there is something for everyone.

This post does not necessarily represent the positions, policies, or opinions of the Council of the European Union or the European Council.

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