
Gendrutis Morkūnas (1960-2009) was a well-known Lithuanian children’s writer, as well as a physicist and a notable scholar of radiation. During his early adult life, the author studied at the Faculty of Physics, Vilnius University, and after graduating stayed there to continue his academic career.
While studying the ways people could protect themselves from radiation, Morkūnas developed a completely different skill – writing for children and young adults. He proved to be a talented writer in 2005 when his first book, “Vasara su Katšuniu“, was awarded as the “Most Significant Debut in Children’s Literature”.
“It is very interesting to write for children. They are extraordinary readers and critics – they are fast, principled, acute and they do not lie. They always say the truth about the books they read, even if the truth is said directly to the author’s eyes. And most of the times the truth is so straightforward that you feel your feet getting cold in the middle of summer. But the most wonderful thing about children is that they can imagine the main characters with ease – they have already seen a lot of them, and they will see other characters this Wednesday,” once said Morkūnas.
During his short literary career, Morkūnas finished five more books and received exceptionally positive critical acclaim. Being one of the most beloved children’s authors in Lithuania, his books have also been translated into English, Russian, Estonian and other languages.
In 2010, after his death, Morkūnas’s book “Iš nuomšiko gyvenimo” was awarded the “Best Young Adults Book of the Year” prize, and in 2015 a collection of short stories was published posthumously.