On the February 19th Sigitas Parulskis, the author of “Darkness and Partners” (“Tamsa ir partneriai”, Alma littera Publishers, 2012), Man of Tolerance award winner, spoke to the readers for the first time. Writer and Director of the Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum Markas Zingeris hosted the evening.

According to Markas Zingeris, “the fact that the playwright Daiva Čepauskaitė (2011) and prose writer Sigitas Parulskis (2012) were voted Man of Tolerance of the Year, the title that is more civic than literary and were chosen from many nominees by the Diplomats for Life Foundation demonstrates that the participation of Lithuanians in the Holocaust (the main idea of Parulskis’ book, also touched upon by  Čepauskaitė) still remains a hidden subject that is recognised only almost by force and has been pushed to the margins of education in Lithuania. Suggesting it to the theatre audiences or readers still takes courage and integrity.”

The novel reveals the drama of a man (“the war will tear off all masks from our faces”) who became a witness of the mass killings of Jews, an observer who was not able to change the course of the events. Parulskis tries to look at the Holocaust through the eyes of those who carried out the mass killings – brutal killers. The book also deals with a passionate and “unlawful” love story.  The author was awarded the title of Man of Tolerance 2012 for his attitude to the crimes of the Holocaust.

The video record of the event (in Lithuanian language) is on the youtube

We express our sincere gratitude for the sponsor of the event, who wanted not to disclose his name, for the possibility to prolong the discussion near the cup of coffee and tea after the official presentation.