Shimkus, Vladas

(also Viadas Šimkus). Born Oct. 15, 1936, in the village of Jučiai, Kelmė Raion. Soviet Lithuanian poet.

Shimkus graduated from the department of history and philosophy of the University of Vilnius in 1961. His works first appeared in print in 1957. In 1960 he published the poetry collection The Best Second, followed in 1963 by Shorelines and in 1968 by ¡ron and Silver. His verses are simple in form, but their content can be interpreted on many levels. Shimkus’ narrative poems My Cousin’s Library (1966) and The Old Grand Piano (1968) contain philosophical reflections on the meaning of life.