V. Palčinskaitė came to literature while still studying at Vilnius University in 1961. At that time, her first collection of poems “The Earth Raised Grass” was published. Critics noted the romanticism of the poetry, its inner energy, and the realities of the city. In the seventies and eighties, the poet published five collections of poems, from which the selected works “Stairs” (1985) were later compiled.
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Shortly after her debut, in 1965, the writer also entered the world of children’s literature, where she worked for six decades. As literary scholar Kęstutis Urba notes, the first children’s poetry books “The Pea House” (1965), “I Walk Through the City” (1966), “The Strawberry Queen” (1967) introduced a personified, gently narrated world of nature and the city. Plants, vegetables, and natural phenomena became personified beings that played with the child but at the same time encouraged thinking, seeing the mysterious world in a new, different way.
V. Palčinskaitė’s poetry for children is distinguished by an optimistic worldview, an atmosphere of childhood as play and celebration. Although sometimes tragic and dramatic motifs were not avoided (for example, in the poem “The White Dwarfs,” 1970). A selected collection “Home Sweet Home” (1977, 1984), based on the first five collections, became very popular and was constantly reissued.
The collection “Old Town Dolls” (1987), according to K. Urba, marks the second stage of V. Palčinskaitė’s work as a children’s poet. The worldview changes – images of the city and old town prevail, the intonations change – joy is replaced by thoughtfulness, romanticized mystery.
V. Palčinskaitė did not limit herself to poetry; her creative field is much broader. Since 1964, she has written six plays for children, which have become a source of inspiration for directors of the most important Lithuanian theaters. Directors of the Vilnius State Youth Theater, Vilnius “Lėlė” Theater, and Vilnius Russian Drama Theater have created productions based on the writer’s plays. The play “I Chase the Summer” was staged at the Klaipėda Drama Theater, “Seven Snow Whites and One Dwarf” at the Šiauliai Drama Theater, “Christian Andersen’s Rose” at the Kaunas Drama Theater. The most important and creatively mature play, staged by 100 theaters, “I Chase the Summer,” returned to the stage in 2024. The production at the Keistuolių Theater won the Golden Stage Cross as the best performance for children and youth, and the play still draws full houses of young viewers. V. Palčinskaitė’s work for theater has also had a very wide reach through amateur and school theaters, drama clubs, where the plays were regularly performed.
Three films were made at the Lithuanian Film Studio based on V. Palčinskaitė’s scripts: “Andrius,” “Train to Bulzibar,” and “The Iron Princess,” which gained great popularity. The writer has created librettos for five oratorios and musicals, one of the most mature being the text for Eduardas Balsys’s oratorio “Do Not Touch the Blue Globe.”
“You, Who Are High,” “Blue Streets,” “Uncle Sleep,” “Night,” “I Want You to Play for Me,” “Faces” – many of V. Palčinskaitė’s texts have turned into songs known by many today.
V. Palčinskaitė has also made a significant contribution to introducing Lithuanian children to the classics of world children’s literature. She has translated books for children and teenagers by famous authors such as Roald Dahl, Kate DiCamillo, John Boyne, and others. Of special importance are her translations of unique British folklore texts – the book “Mother Goose’s Rhymes” (1998).
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In recent years of intense creativity, V. Palčinskaitė has surprised with unexpected creative decisions. New poetry books for children have appeared: “Poems from Home” (2017), “What the Dance Hall Did” (2020), “The Swamp Did Not See” (2021), and three prose (memoir) books: “Babylons of Memory, or I Chase the Summer” (2015), “Babylons of Mystery, or I Send You Good Days” (2019), “Babylons of the Full Moon, or Christian Andersen’s Rose” (2024). Prose books for children have also been published – “The Magical Mozart Flute” (2008), “Music for the Troll” (2011), “Troll Molis and Čiurlionis” (2021).
At the beginning of 2026, V. Palčinskaitė took another important step – she published a poetry collection for adults “In the Tall Grass,” which also included new poems. And just a couple of weeks ago, another children’s poetry book by the poet appeared – “There Is No Winter in Africa.”
Since 1964, V. Palčinskaitė has been a member of the Writers’ Union.
On the occasion of the centenary of Lithuania’s independence, three of V. Palčinskaitė’s books were selected in the list of the most important children’s literature works “One Hundred Books for Children and Lithuania,” compiled by literary experts.
In 2003, V. Palčinskaitė was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Vytautas the Great, and in 2018 she received the Government’s Culture and Art Prize. In 2023, V. Palčinskaitė was awarded the most significant cultural award – the National Culture and Art Prize.
V. Palčinskaitė’s poems remain in children’s memory for many years; they are gladly recited, it is good to learn them by heart, parents pass them on to their children, the texts turn into songs and plays. The writer tirelessly communicated with readers in the most remote cities of Lithuania, impressing with her dignified demeanor, optimistic outlook on life, humor, and human warmth, which she generously shared with children and adults.
We say goodbye to the poet with her own words – a poem from the recently published children’s poetry book “There Is No Winter in Africa.”
FAIRY TALE, BUT I WAS THERE
A chair woven from strings.
The lantern has already lit up.
The little prince is clearing the way.
Fox. Rose. And Avelė.
There is also a Snake there.
But no one has seen it yet.
On that planet – you are a child.
Only time runs cruelly fast…
But actually, the fault lies
With the mysterious planet.
I have never seen one like it.
It spins a hundred times faster.
And the lamplighter says:
– Time to go. Not enough?
The feast ends quickly.
Yes, a strange planet…
Don’t look so sternly.
The little prince’s chair is empty…
But you will be accompanied on the way
By Fox. Rose. And Avelė.
