Kristina Sabaliauskaitė

Kristina Sabaliauskaitė is a Lithuanian author and art historian. She is best known as the author of the series of historical novels ''Silva Rerum'' and ''Peter's Empress''.

Sabaliauskaitė is considered to be one of the most prominent contemporary Lithuanian writers. Born in Vilnius, she has been a longtime resident of London where she worked as a foreign correspondent and columnist for Lithuania's biggest daily newspaper ''Lietuvos rytas'' from 2002 until 2010.

Early and personal life

Sabaliauskaitė was born in Vilnius in 1974. From 1981 to 1992, she pursued her secondary education at the Vilnius secondary school No.23. In 1998, she graduated from the Vilnius Academy of Arts with a major in art history. In 2000, she obtained a master's degree from the Vilnius Academy of Arts, and in 2005, she completed her Ph.D. She pursued postgraduate studies at the Warburg Institute of University of London, and at the Institute of Art History of Warsaw University. She also holds a doctor honoris causa of Vilnius Academy of Arts.

Literary career

The ''Silva Rerum'' novels

In 2008, she debuted with a historical novel ''Silva Rerum'' (published by Baltos lankos) about the life of a Lithuanian noble Norvaiša family in 1659–1667, the period after The Deluge. It became a bestseller of 22 editions and was pronounced 'a literary event' and 'a cultural phenomenon' in Lithuania. It was critically acclaimed and recognised by culture historians, praised for the captivating, multilayered storytelling and the great attention to historical detail. Intended from the beginning as a tetralogy, the subsequent parts of this noble family saga (each of them describing one Norvaiša family generation) were published - 'Silva Rerum II' (2011, 16 editions, about the Great Plague of 1707-1710 and the Great Northern War), 'Silva Rerum III (2014, 11 editions, set in the mid-18th century and exploring the origins of the legend of the Righteous Proselyte of Vilna, Abraham ben Abraham and the Great Fires of 1748–1749) and 'Silva Rerum IV' (2016, 8 editions, the final part of the tetralogy about the Enlightenment and the period from 1770 to Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth partitions in 1795). All of these novels became award-winning long-term number-one bestsellers and were received with much anticipation from readers and critics, with the first print runs completely selling out in a few days (the first print run of 'Silva Rerum IV' was sold out in 3 days). 'Silva Rerum' novels have been listed many times in the critics' 'Best books lists' (2008 by the Institute of Lithuanian Literature among the twelve most creative books, 2010 among the Critic's Choice 10 most memorable Lithuanian books of the past decade, 2015 Lithuanian PEN Club List of 10 most important books of the decade).

Despite the complexity of the text, the popularity of the 'Silva Rerum' historical saga (called by critics 'a rare case of bestsellerdom meets quality literature') in Lithuania was such that due to reader's demand in 2011 the Vilnius Tourism Information Centre introduced literary guided tours of Vilnius Old Town following the places described in Sabaliauskaitė's 'Silva rerum' trilogy.

''Peter's Empress''

In 2019 Baltos Lankos published the first part of the dilogy 'Peter's Empress', a novel about the Lithuanian born wife of Peter I, Martha Helena Skowrońska, the Empress of Russia Catherine I. Set in the last 24 hours of the Empress' life it tells the story of her marriage as well as of the cultural clash between the East and the West in the light of Peter I reforms. It became a number one bestseller even before hitting the bookstore shelves, with the first print-run selling out via pre-order. The novel had 7 editions in the first 6 months becoming a record breaking bestseller in Lithuania. The second and final part of Peter's Empress was published in February 2021, with more than 70,000 copies sold in the first month after the release. Overall, more than 200,000 copies were sold in a country of 2,8 million.

''Peter's Empress'' international acclaim

'Peter's Empress' was met with rave reviews in all European countries where it was published and became a bestseller with multiple reprints. In France, the novel was described as the one "of powerful charm that can be read not just a historical saga, but also like a journey through the vanished phantom landscapes. A narrative of great suspense, always balancing on the edge of utter ruin" (Le Monde), "an immense epopee following the routes of the empire which aims to expand its borders and traditions ..With a meticulous research of a historian and the quill that is both poetic and raw at the same time, Sabaliauskaitė draws the prodigious fate not just of a woman, but also of the whole nation torn between its attraction to the Western modernity and the weight of its ancestral culture.“ (Le Figaro Magazine), "a novel of an epic scale, rough and poetic at the same time" (Le Figaro Magazine), with critic Gerard Collard proclaiming it to be "not a novel, but a storm" ('C‘est n‘est pas un roman, c‘est un ouragan'), "an event". The Dutch edition was equally successful, with critics comparing Sabaliauskaite's storytelling power with that of Umberto Eco or Hillary Mantel (Knack Focus, Belgium), Marguerite Yourcenar, naming 'Peter's Empress' as the 'dazzling historical novel' among the best books of 2022 (NRC, The Netherlands). In Estonia 'Peter's Empress' (Part 2) became The Book of the Year 2022, receiving also glowing reviews from leading petrologist historians for its historical accuracy, calling it 'the perfect historical novel, a symbiosis of historical accuracy, a psychological and emotionally engaging biography, the true flavour and aroma of literature'.

Short stories collection

In 2012 Baltos Lankos published a selection of short stories 'Danielius Dalba & kitos istorijos' (Danielius Dalba & Other Stories) which became a number one bestseller. 8 short stories in voices of different social dialects and characters tell more recent Lithuanian history - from World War II to contemporary times, encapsulating the Polish, Jewish and Soviet Vilnius, life in emigration, the living memories of the historical traumas of the past.

In 2015 'Vilnius Wilno Vilna: Three Short Stories', taken from the collection 'Danielius Dalba & kitos istorijos' and translated into English by Romas Kinka, illustrated with photography of Jan Bułhak and Romualdas Rakauskas, was published by Baltos Lankos and also went on to become a bestseller.

''Silva Rerum'' translations

Reception in Latvia

The Latvian translation of 'Silva Rerum' was published in 2010 to rave reviews, comparing it to the work on the level of Salman Rushdie and Umberto Eco. In 2014 the translations by Dace Meiere of 'Silva Rerum' and ''Silva Rerum II'' (published in Latvia by Zvaigzne ABC) were voted by Latvian readers for inclusion in a list of 100 of Latvia's Most Favourite Books of All Times (the only book by a Lithuanian author in the list). Peter's Empress (Pētera Imperatore, Part I, 2020) has become the first Lithuanian book to reach number one on the bestselling lists.

Reception in Poland

In 2015 the Polish translation of 'Silva Rerum' by Izabela Korybut-Daszkiewicz was published in Poland and received exceptional reviews, with Olga Tokarczuk describing it as 'a splendidly written, marquesian novel which takes place in seventeenth century Lithuania and eventually reminds us that the history of Central Europe is our shared narrative' and critics calling it 'a novel which restores faith in literature', 'a true literary sensation from Lithuania (Mariusz Cieślik, ''Wprost

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