Šaltenis was born into a family of Lithuanian teachers in Utena, Lithuania. He attended UtenaSecondary School No. 2 from 1963 to 1964 and studied philology at Vilnius University while working as a laborer at the Vilnius Drill Factory. After his freshman year, he was drafted into the Soviet Army and did not continue his studies after his return. From 1969 to 1972 worked on the editorial board at the Lithuanian Film Studios. In 1989 co-founded the weekly magazine Šiaurės Atėnai with Arvydas Juozaitis and and was its editor from 1990 to 1994. From 1994 to 1996, he was the editor-in-chief at the news daily Lietuvos aidas. Šaltenis has been a member of the Lithuanian Writers' Union since 1971, and a member of the presidium of this union since 1986. He is also a board member of the Lithuanian Cinematographer's Union, as well as a member of the Journalist's Society and of the Lithuanian Citizens' Charter.
Political career
In 1988, Šaltenis joined the pro-independence Sąjūdis and was elected to the Supreme Council – Reconstituent Seimas, becoming a signatory of the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania. He was reelected to the Seimas until 2000. He served as the Minister of Culture from 1996 to 1999 in the Government of Gediminas Vagnorius. Until 2000, he was also vice-chairman of the Homeland Union.
Writing career
Šaltenis's first stories were published in 1963 in the cultural journal Literatūra ir menas. In 1966, he published his first book, a collection of short stories titled Atostogos. He co-wrote the first Lithuanian musicals Ugnies medžioklė su varovais with the prose writer and Komunarų gatvė with Sigitas Geda. He wrote the script for the film version of his story Riešutų duona, as well as for the films Skrydis per Lietuvą and Herkus Mantas. In 2017, he wrote the script for Eimuntas Nekrošius's staging of his story Kalės vaikai. In 2019, he won the Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Arts.
Published works
Atostogos: apsakymai. – Vilnius: Vaga, 1966. – 75 p.
Riešutų duona; Henrikas Montė: apysakos / dail. Vladislovas Žilius. – Vilnius: Vaga, 1972. – 176 p.: iliustr.
Duokiškis: apysaka. – Vilnius: Vaga, 1977. – 65 p.
Pokalbiai prieš aušrą: publicistika. – Vilnius: Lietuvos aidas, 1995. – 184 p. –
Riešutų duona: apysakos ir apsakymai / sud. Kęstutis Urba. – Kaunas: Šviesa, 2003. – 174 p. –
Kalės vaikai: rinktinė. – Vilnius: Žaltvykslė, 2006. – 415 p. –
Pjesės / parengė Agnė Iešmantaitė. – Vilnius: Žaltvykslė, 2006. – 111 p. –
Kalės vaikai: romanas / parengė Agnė Iešmantaitė. – Vilnius: Žaltvykslė, 2006. – 115 p. –
Proza: novelės ir apysakos / parengė Agnė Iešmantaitė. – Vilnius: Žaltvykslė, 2006. – 129 p. –
Lietuvių grotesko ir ironijos dramos: Juozas Grušas, Kazys Saja, Saulius Šaltenis: skaitiniai / sud. Agnė Iešmantaitė. – Vilnius: Žaltvykslė, 2007. – 223 p. –
Demonų amžius: proza ir dramaturgija. – Vilnius: Tyto alba, 2014. – 295 p. –
Žydų karalaitės dienoraštis: romanas. – Vilnius: Tyto alba, 2015. – 150 p. –
