Lithuanian Short Stories Annotated

This collection contains, in English translation, eight short stories and two other writings written by Lithuanian authors, spanning a time frame of from around 1930 to the 1980s. One is set in a medieval, fantastical Lithuania, others in the '30s in Lithuania, and one seems to take place in late 20th Century America.
The Cross by Jurgis Jankus is a classic in its own right, set in a desolate, post-apocalpytic landscape. The Idler by Aloyzas Baronas describes a hero who is zenlike in his dispassion for status and wealth in the midst of war and dislocation. Another tale is of two bestest buddies--a great-great grandmother and a young boy.
Although most would choose Jankus’ The Cross as the greatest piece herein, my personal favorite is Did the Devil?--which almost answers the question of what Lithuania did or didn't do to deserve the ordeal it underwent during the successive Soviet-German-Soviet occupations of the middle and late 20th Century. And on a lighter note, Flax Blossoms is about a barely restrainable mutual sexual attraction in a pastoral setting, and the passion seems to burst through the pages.
The other two writings are from the period of Lithuania's rebirth and its path towards re-establishment of its independence. They are great pieces of literature and are entirely unlike opinion pieces one finds in Western journals.
This collection is a great read, and if you are of Lithuanian descent, or are curious about the people of this country by the Baltic Sea, this book will give you a good insight into their minds and character and into their thoughts and experiences during the last seventy years or so.
The Kindle file is not a Word conversion, but a painstakingly clean file.