Small Literature as a Problem. Could It Be Solved?

Abstract

Th e article discusses the status and functioning of so-called small literatures, including Lithuanian literature, in the global system of world literature. Referring to Franco Moretti and Pascale Casanova’s interpretation of world literature system as based on the principle of inequality, the author discusses the conception of belonging to small literatures as a destiny and interprets the onecentric world literary system as hegemonic. Being dominated by grand literatures, small literatures have very restricted possibilities of gravitation towards the center of world literature. In that theoretical context, the article considers the following issues: is it possible and how is it possible to avoid the destiny of small literatures staying in the periphery of world literature, what role in this situation plays the writer himself, what depends on the culture and research politics, could literary scholars play the role of mediators and what could be the alternatives for onecentered world literary system.