The event was moderated by Jūratė Žuolytė. The book presentation began with questions from the audience, and M. Adomėnas himself admitted that the Kaunas Book Fair audience is the first to whom he presents the new novel.
Read more Music teacher Rūta Ruginytė spoke openly about her partner, actor Ainis Storpirštis
“I only picked up the book from the publisher yesterday,” said the writer.
The main character of “Barbarian Invasions” is literature professor Gerard Gavronskis, whose life is intertwined with academic intrigues, manipulative relationships, and a spying story. Meanwhile, operatives involved in a failed Bureau operation are dying one after another under suspicious circumstances.
Although the characters are new, the novel maintains a connection with M. Adomėnas’s previous work.
“The characters are different from those in the book ‘Coin & Labyrinth,’ but the world in which the book’s action takes place is the same. The challenges are also recognizable,” said the author.
“Coin & Labyrinth” was chosen as Book of the Year in 2023, and the second part of the duology became the No. 1 bestseller in 2024. However, “Barbarian Invasions” is not a direct continuation of the previous novel.
“This is not a continuation of ‘Coin & Labyrinth.’ There is only basic information in this book about ‘Coin and Labyrinth,'” explained M. Adomėnas.
When asked if the new novel would have a second part, the writer was categorical.
“No, there will be no second part; this is the whole book. But that does not mean that the books I write will end,” he said.
Who are these barbarians?
One of the main questions during the conversation was the title of the novel itself. Who are M. Adomėnas’s “barbarians”?
“Yes, but there are more of them than one might guess,” the author answered the question of whether the book identifies who the barbarians are.
According to him, the novel talks about a world where threats are constantly increasing, so a person cannot expect to find a completely safe corner.
“The book is about the cost of living in a world where threats keep increasing. History never ends. There will be no safe corner in the world; one must constantly be prepared to react and defend. Threats never end,” said M. Adomėnas.
There will be no safe corner in the world; one must constantly be prepared to react and defend.
However, for him, the “barbarians” are not only an external enemy.
“Both that and many other meanings. The book is an attempt to reflect on what kinds of barbarism threaten us. Yes, of course, those external ones—they have not disappeared anywhere and are only increasing. But also internal barbarism—from identifying with enemy categories, what values we defend at all, and the barbarism on the edge of which a person’s personality constantly balances and which threatens to slip into their lower ‘self’ and become a side character in their own life story.”
J. Žuolytė asked whether the current period is truly exceptional or if barbarians have always been around.
“Only the form of the barbarians changes. It is not that once we defend ourselves from one threat, we will enter a safe world where we can calm down. Constant defense is the new historical phase. This century will be like that,” said the writer.
Only the form of the barbarians changes. It is not that once we defend ourselves from one threat, we will enter a safe world where we can calm down; constant defense is the new historical phase.
According to him, the belief that one can simply withdraw from the world’s threats has its price.
“One can live peacefully only at the cost of losing touch with reality,” said M. Adomėnas.
Real-world threats also enter the novel
M. Adomėnas did not hide that he is interested in what could happen in the real world while writing. However, he emphasized that “Barbarian Invasions” should not be read as a reflection of real people or events.
“The relationship between the imagined and the real world is complicated. People who try to read the book as a record of reality would be very mistaken. Reality can inspire; it gives colors, but the constructed world has its own logic and lives according to it,” explained the author.
Read more “KAnDIs” revived the legendary “Antis” hit and has an important message
He said the novel explores real possibilities, but it does not include specific real people or events, only changed names.
“The novel explores real possibilities that could happen, but it is not about real people or real events with changed names. I would not respect a literary genre that does not dare to speak openly and then masks something,” said M. Adomėnas.
According to him, the book allows a look at what could happen to the state, society, and the individual.
“It is a work about what can be, how it can happen. It is an opportunity to reflect on our political existence, the existence of the state, but also personal and societal, in which we live. It is an attempt to see what can happen, what threats, what barbarians can invade, and what is needed for us to withstand them? This is what the book is about,” said the writer.
He does not know how it will end while writing
J. Žuolytė noted that the writing style of “Barbarian Invasions” differs somewhat from “Coin & Labyrinth.”
“Maybe the author is maturing. The tone and the desire to talk about a somewhat different nature are changing a bit,” M. Adomėnas commented on the observation.
According to him, the new novel’s approach to intelligence is less metaphysical but remains existential, and the book includes more irony.
“To avoid getting bored with myself, I want to experiment and change the theme,” he said.
The writer also admitted that when starting a book, he usually does not have a clear plan for how the story will end.
“When I start writing a book, I do not know how it will all end; sometimes the ending surprises me,” said M. Adomėnas.
When I start writing a book, I do not know how it will all end; sometimes the ending surprises me
According to him, much reveals itself during the writing process. At the beginning, he usually has a character or a scene from which everything starts.
“No, definitely not before writing; much reveals itself during the writing process. At the very beginning, I have a character or a scene, which is the first image,” the author said.
M. Adomėnas also revealed that a new book is already planned, and the action of the third book is already set in Rome.
“I will lift the veil; the action of the third book takes place in Rome,” he said.
However, M. Adomėnas spoke cautiously about the genre of the new novel and whether it will really be written.
“I write when an intriguing plot offers itself. What interests me next would be a work of a completely different genre. What genre, I will not say, but it will also be a novel. Or maybe it will no longer be interesting to write; maybe I will start growing tomatoes,” he joked.
At the end of the conversation, J. Žuolytė asked whether M. Adomėnas is more of a writer, politician, or diplomat.
“Do I have to choose? As long as it is interesting to write, as long as people are interested in reading what I have written, I may still be a writer, but everything can change. It is compatible with all other duties. Am I more a diplomat or a writer? Probably more a classic philologist,” he answered.
Read more A British man who saved a smile in Turkey paid dearly: he underwent five operations and nearly died
