News

On 21–24 March Lithuania returned to the Leipzig Book Fair. Among the books presented at the fair were novels by Ieva Simonaitytė and Undinė Radzevičiūtė and the memoir of the theatrologist Markas Petuchauskas. Lithuania was also represented by a four-part series of bilingual proverb dictionaries titled “You Live, You Learn”, whose author is Rasa Bačiulienė, a member of the Faculty of Philology. The Lithuanian-German proverb dictionary was included into the archives of the German National Library, and the series was nominated for the London Book Fair International Excellence Awards 2019.

The books of the series were illustrated by children from Lithuanian, British, and German schools, special needs education centres, and children’s shelters. They are the result of the international project “You Live, You Learn”. Pupils and children of various nationalities and ageshave participated in the project.

Lithuania was invited to participate in the Leipzig Book Fair in 2017, and the cooperation with Austrian, Swiss, and German publishers has since become closer. The motto “The story continues” has become a consistent and accurate reflection of the growing visibility of Lithuanian literature in the German cultural sphere. 

On 13–15 March 2019, The Faculty of Philology, Vilnius University (VU FLF) hosted the Lithuanian Pupils’ Polish Language Olympiad, which celebrated its 30thanniversary this year. This year’s Olympiad also commemorated the 450thanniversary of the Union of Lublin.

“We are very happy that the anniversary Olympiad will take place at Vilnius University, where many renowned Lithuanian and Polish poets, writers, and scientists have studied” said Kristina Rutkovska, a professor at the Centre for Polish Studies of the Institute for the Languages and Cultures of the Baltic, Faculty of Philology.

The participants of the Olympiad were welcomed by the Faculty Dean Professor Inesa Šeškauskienė and Vice-Dean for Studies Diana Šileikaitė-Kaishauri.

Twenty top 11–12 grade pupils from schools in the city of Vilnius and Vilnius, Trakai, Šalčininkai and Švenčioniai districts participated in the Olympics. To qualify, they won school and district level competitions. The Olympiad is organised by the Centre for Polish Studies and the Lithuanian Centre of Non-formal Youth Education. Its purpose is to encourage pupils to take interest in the Polish language and literature, as well as in the development of Polish culture and the cultural connections between the Polish and Lithuanians.

Vilnius University (VU) continues to improve its position in international university rankings. The QS World University Rankings by Subject 2019 ranked VU among the top 500 universities worldwide in four out of five subject areas. These include natural sciences (VU ranked 383rd), social sciences and management (VU ranked 384th), arts and humanities (VU ranked 393rd), and engineering and technology (VU ranked in position 451–500) 

In the arts and humanities subject area, linguistics continues to be the top ranked subject. This year, VU linguistics was ranked in position 201–250.

“This year’s subject area ranking is very gratifying, as we have risen through the ranks in all areas. The rankings confirm that our scientists and scholars are respected by their international colleagues, and that our graduates are valued by their employers. Various rankings and indicators should be taken into account if one is considering to study in Lithuania or abroad, and I encourage secondary school graduates and their relatives to do so.” said VU Rector Professor Artūras Žukauskas.