Sigitas Parulskis, born 1965 in Obeliai, is a poet, dramatist, author, critic and essayist. He studied Lithuanian language and Literature at the Vilnius University. His first novel “Trys Sekundes Sangaus” (English: Three Seconds of Heaven) was acknowledged with the Best Book of the Year Award in 2002 by the Lithuanian writers’ guild. In 2004, he was honoured with the National Prize for Culture and Arts. His work has been translated into 11 languages. The literary festival writes about him: “While Parulski's poetry is dominated by images of his childhood on the countryside, the existential dimension of his work becomes apparent through allegorical, parabolic constellations of characters appearing in his piece.“ In 2018 his novel “Darkness and Society” (Peter Owen, London) was published. Parulskis lives in Vilnius.