Mykolas Sluckis


Mykolas Sluckis was a Lithuanian writer.
He was among the very few Lithuanian Jewish writers who wrote in Lithuanian.

Biography

Sluckis was born in Panevėžys family of a poor craftsman, Gecelis Sluckis. In the Soviet Union his full name in Russian was given as "Миколас Гецелевич Слуцкис". During World War II, in summer 1941 he was evacuated from the Soviet Young Pioneer camp in Palanga and lived in a rural orphanage in Russia, in Malmyzhsky District of the Kirov Oblast. In Winter 1944 he, with many other children, was returned to Vilnius. His parents and brother were killed in Holocaust, only he and his younger sister survived. In 1951, he graduated from the history and philology department of Vilnius University majoring in Russian philology.
For 20 years he was married to Regina née Važgauskaitė and they had daughter Snieguole.

Works

Among other works, Sluckis wrote some 20 books for children and youth, mostly in his early years. He also wrote essays of literary criticism, plays and screenplays.
His novel Laiptai į dangų served as a base for the 1966 .
His short story Svetimos aistros served as a base for the 1983 Latvian film .
His works have been translated into 25 languages.

Awards and decorations