Magnetic North: Conversations with Tomas Venclova is a book in the European tradition of works
such as Conversations with Czeslaw Milosz and Aleksander Wat's classic My Century. Taking the
form of an extendedinterview with Lithuanian poet Tomas Venclova the book interweaves Eastern
European postwar history dissidence and literature. Venclova who personally knew Akhmatova
Pasternak Milosz Brodsky and many others was also one of the five founding members of the
Lithuanian Helsinki Group one of the first human rights organizations in Eastern Europe.
Magnetic North provides an in-depth account of ethical choices and artistic resistance to
totalitarianism over a half century. It also details Venclova's artistic work expanding our
understanding of the significance of this writer whose books are central to contemporary
European culture. The publication of this book was supported by the Lithuanian Culture
Institute. Tomas Venclova is a Lithuanian poet writer scholar and translator. He is
Professor Emeritus of Slavic Languages and Literatures at Yale University. Ellen Hinsey is the
author of numerous works of poetry essay and literary translation. Her most recent book is
Mastering the Past: Contemporary Central and Eastern Europe and the Rise of Illiberalism.
