Tomas Venclova
Tomas Venclova | |
|---|---|
Venclova in Warsaw, 20 March 2007 | |
| Born | 11 September 1937 Klaipėda, Lithuania |
| Occupation | philologist, essayist, writer, poet |
| Nationality | Lithuanian |
| Citizenship | Lithuanian American |
| Alma mater | Vilnius University |
| Notable awards | Lithuanian National Prize, Petrarca-Preis, Vilenica International Literary Prize, Zbigniew Herbert Award, Doctor Honoris Causa of Vilnius University |
Tomas Venclova (born 11 September 1937) is a Lithuanian poet, prose writer, scholar, philologist and translator of literature. He is one of the five founding members of the Lithuanian Helsinki Group. In 1977, following his dissident activities, he was forced to emigrate and was deprived of his Soviet citizenship. Since 1980, he has taught Russian and Polish literature at Yale University. Considered a major figure in world literature, he has received many awards, including the Prize of Two Nations (received jointly with Czesław Miłosz), and The Person of Tolerance of the Year Award from the Sugihara Foundation, among other honors.