Jurga Tumasonytė

Jurga Tumasonytė is a prose writer, literary critic, and creative writing lecturer. She holds a BA in Lithuanian philology from Vilnius University (VU) and an MA in literary studies from Vytautas Magnus University (VMU). Since 2007, she has contributed extensively to the cultural press, conducting interviews with Lithuanian and international artists, publishing reviews and essays, and organising cultural events. 

Her literary work has been translated into French, Estonian, Latvian, German, Russian, Croatian, and English. She is the author of the short story collections Dirbtinė muselė and Undinės (Mermaids), and the novels Remontas (The Renovation) and Naujagimiai (The Newborns).

Tumasonytė has received numerous literary awards. Her debut collection Dirbtinė muselė was awarded the Kazimieras Barėnas Prize. Undinės (Mermaids) was selected among the five best books at the Book of the Year awards and included in the Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore’s (LLTI) list of the twelve most creative books, and received the Jurga Ivanauskaitė and Antanas Vaičiulaitis prizes. Her novel Naujagimiai (The Newborns) was named Best Lithuanian Fiction Book of 2023 in the 15min.lt Book of the Year awards, also shortlisted among the five and included in the LLTI’s list of the twelve most creative books; in 2024, it was awarded the Žemaitė and Lazdynų Pelėda prizes. 

Tumasonytė explores themes of identity, memory, and everyday life, combining realistic narrative with elements of the surreal.