The Willow Roses

‘The Willow Roses’ is a true-fact based story depicting Lithuania’s resistance against Soviet
domination in post war period.
The narrative develops in Lithuanian village of Ažugiriai where people noticed willows ‘blooming
with red roses’ in the winter right after World War II. Originally, it is a natural phenomenon when
leaves of willows left hanging on the branches in the winter become red and shrunk and
reminiscent of roses. In Lithuania, it is believed that this incredible natural creature prophesies a
tragedy, blood and death.
The prophecy came true when the terrible machine of Soviet terrorism unfolded all its beauty in
post-war Lithuania and the politicians of the time did not manage to resist it, leaving citizens to
deal with the situation on their own.
The author, however, does not go deep into historical analysis. Instead, he reveals the emotions
and dramatic experience of people, who had to take fatal decisions and withstand their outcome,
to choose between their believes and keeping themselves and their families safe, to die or to
obey.

About the author
Ričardas Kalytis: a Lithuanian writer, who lived through the resistance struggles and the exile to
Siberia in person. Ričardas was born in 1932 and was sent to Siberia together with his mother in
1949, where he spent all his youth and came back to Lithuania only in 1961. Possessing a technical
doctor’s degree and being praised for his scientific inventions and managerial work, he is also a
prominent and award-winning author of historical novels.
‘The Willow Roses’ is his third novel, originally published in 1997. Before it, came ‘Ours, not songs’,
time’ (1992) and ‘The place of cry’ (1995), with the latter being awarded a National Literature
Award Žemaitė Prize. A bit latter he wrote ‘The times of dogsbodies’. All four literary pieces depict
lives of people in historically significant moments transferring global conflicts to individual levels
and showing off their dramatism through experiences, emotions, and fates of ordinary people. All
novels are full of cultural symbolism, house holding habits and linguistics particularities of the
beginning of the 20 th century Lithuania, subtle humour being an indispensable spice even in the
most tragic situations.