Pranas Morkūnas’ Morphophonological Poetry: Futurism, Dada and Politics

The chapter deals with the literary output of the interwar, avant-garde poet and writer Pranas Morkūnas (1900–1941). In the past few decades, historians of the Lithuanian avant-garde have become aware that Morkūnas’ poetry perhaps represents the nation’s highest literary achievement of its era. However, his poems are still awaiting a critical edition. This paper therefore attempts a first general treatment of Morkūnas’ poetry outside of the Lithuanian language. It considers both the visual and morphophonological strategies adopted in his verses, as well as the relationship between his avant-garde poetics and his political views.