Rolandas Rastauskas was born in 1954 in Šiauliai and grew up in Palanga. He graduated from Vilnius University with a degree in English studies and pursued fellowships at the London National Theatre, the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh, and the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough. Rastauskas worked as the chief editor at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre and taught at Vilnius and Klaipėda universities. He is the author of five poetry collections, five books of essays, novels, plays, stage adaptations, and journalistic essays. Rastauskas earned the Yotvingian Prize for his poetry book Vienišos vėliavos (Lonesome Flags, 2014). He also received The Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Arts in 2010.