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Latvian Literature Resounds at the Leipzig Book Fair

Writers, translators, and representatives of the Latvian Literature Center (L.L.C.) are heading to Germany to participate in the annual Leipzig Book Fair, which will take place this year from March 13 to March 16.

In Leipzig, Latvian writers Laima Muktupāvela, Nora Ikstena, and Dace Rukšāne, along with translators Matthias Knoll and Berthold Forssman, will introduce German audiences to their works during various special events.

On Saturday, March 15, from 10:00 to 11:00, Laima Muktupāvela and Dace Rukšāne will participate in the event “Ladies aus Lettland” (Ladies from Latvia), where translators Matthias Knoll and Berthold Forssman and moderator Laura Efeja-Reinšmite will help the two writers communicate with the German audience. An event to celebrate the release of the German translation of Laima Muktupāvela’s novel Šampinjonu Derība (Champignon Testament) will take place later that day, from 12:30 to 13:45; the moderator for the event will be the novel’s German translator, Berthold Forssman. On the last day of the book fair, March 16, from 14:00 to 15:00, Nora Ikstena un Dace Rukšāne will read from their latest works in an event led by translator Matthias Knoll.

The Latvian Literature Center will have its own stand at the Leipzig Book Fair, which will introduce visitors to translations of Latvian literature into German and other languages, providing them with journals and other informative materials published by the L.L.C.

The Leipzig Book Fair is one of the most important meeting places for publishers, writers, readers, and journalists; in addition to an exhibit of books, the fair will also feature various seminars, readings, and other literary events. Last year, 127,500 visitors, including 2,348 publishers from 36 countries, attended the fair.

Participation in the Leipzig Book Fair has been supported by the State Culture Capital Foundation; the Latvian Foreign Ministry; the Latvian Embassy in Germany; and Literature Across Frontiers, a network European literature centers.

More information is available at the Leipzig Book Fair’s Web site, www.leipziger-buchmesse.de

11.03.2008.

Latvian Literature Resounds at the Leipzig Book Fair

More information is available at the Leipzig Book Fair’s Web site, www.leipziger-buchmesse.de

11.03.2008.

Announced a Contest for Foreign Publishers Publishing Latvian Literature

Latvian Literature Centre in cooperation with State Culture Capital Foundation has announced a contest Support for Foreign Publishers Publishing Latvian Literature , part of the cultural program Latvian Literature in the World , and invites applications from publishers worldwide. The aim of the contest is to provide financial support for foreign publishers in publishing Latvian literature, including classic literature, thereby increasing foreign publishers’ interest in Latvian literature and its translations.

The deadline for sending the applications is 1 March 2008 (should be received at premises of Latvian Literature Centre until this date).

14.01.2008.

Invitation to WALTIC 2008

WALTIC 2008, an international congress to manifest “the value of words” will be held in Stockholm, Sweden from 29 June to 2 July 2008. Authors, literary translators and scholars from all over the world will meet during the first WALTIC congress ever.

WALTIC 2008 will be a forum of exchange of experience amongst writers and researchers engaged in and committed to the stregthening of democracy and human rights. The ambition is to achieve new insights into reading and literature as tools for analysis of contemporary society, social development and change. WALTIC 2008 will focus on the narratives as mediators of knowledge and bearers of culture and collective memory, with a view to developing guidelines for reinforcing the role of literature in global society.

The main themes for WALTIC 2008 are world literacy, intercultural dialogue and digitalization.

More information: www.waltic.com

22.11.2007.

Cabinet of Ministers Prize for Writer Zigmunds Skujiņš

The Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Latvia has awarded the Cabinet of Ministers Prize to six laureates, including Latvian writer Zigmunds Skujiņš, who was honored for his lifetime contribution to literature.

Zigmunds Skujiņš is one of the most renowned late-twentieth-century Latvian writers; he is the author of many novels, plays, film scripts, and essays. Over the course of more than fifty years, Skujiņš has cultivated a brilliant style, and his works have been consistently well received by both readers and professional critics. Skujiņš is one of the most translated Latvian writers; his works have been rendered into German, English, Russian, Bulgarian, Czech, Slovakian, and Hungarian, among other languages. More than seven million copies of his works have been published, in countries all over the world.

31.10.2007.

Latvian Poetry at the Istanbul Book Fair

From October 26 – 29, representatives of the Latvian Literature Centre, along with several Latvian poets, will participate in the Istanbul Book Fair and in various events marking the publication of an anthology of Latvia poetry.

The fair’s events devoted to Latvian poetry were organized by the Latvian Literature Centre, in collaboration with the Turkish Writers Union and the Istanbul Book Fair.

In late October, the Istanbul publishing house Komsu will release an anthology of Latvian poetry, The Devil’s Dozen , which came about through the collaboration of Turkish poet and translator Ataol Behramoglu and Latvian poet and translator Uldis Bērziņš. The book will include Turkish translations of works by thirteen Latvian poets: Māris Salējs, Liāna Langa, Kārlis Vērdiņš, Jānis Elsbergs, Leons Briedis, Pēters Brūveris, Amanda Aizpuriete, Knuts Skujenieks, Uldis Bērziņš, Edvīns Raups, Juris Kronbergs, Ronalds Briedis, and Jānis Rokpelnis.

The anthology’s two book-launch parties – on October 26, at the Turkish Writers Union, and October 29, at the Istanbul Book Fair – will feature Latvian poets Uldis Bērziņš, Knuts Skujenieks, Juris Kronbergs, and Liāna Langa; Turkish poets Ataol Behramoglu and Enver Ercan; and Latvian musician Silvija Silava, who composed several songs especially for these events.

On October 27, the Latvian poets, along with poets from Turkey, Cyprus, Catalonia, Slovenia, Poland, Rumania, and Wales, will participate in international poetry readings at the Mefisto bookstore, in Istanbul. On October 29, poet, translator, and Turkish scholar Uldis Bērziņš will take part in the discussion “Turkey to European Eyes: Fact, Myth, and Fiction,” and the Director of the Latvian Literature Centre, Jānis Oga, will participate in the seminar “European Union and National Support Programs for Translations”.

A translation seminar, organized by Literature Across Frontiers, the network of European literature centers, and featuring poets from Turkey, Cyprus, Catalonia, Slovenia, Poland, Rumania, and Wales, will also take place in Istanbul. In September of this year, a similar seminar took place at the International Writers’ and Translators’ House, in Ventspils.

The events are co-financed by the State Culture Capital Foundation, the Latvian Ministry for Culture, and the international program Literature Across Frontiers (part of the European Union project “Culture 2000”). The anthology of Latvian poetry will be published with the support of the State Culture Capital Foundation and the Latvian Literature Centre.

25.10.2007.

Poet Liāna Langa Participates at the International Poetry Festival in Israel

From October 18 – 23 poet Liāna Langa is going to represent Latvia at the SHA`AR International Poetry Festival, in Israel. The annual SHA`AR International Poetry Festival, which has taken place in Israel for the last six years, is one of the most important poetry festivals in the world. The festival is mostly oriented toward contemporary Jewish and Arab poetry, and guests are invited from Europe, the United States, and Asia. The festival also provides a forum for young poets to introduce their works.

The main focus of the festival is dialogue – first and foremost, between Jewish and Arab cultures, as well as between various art forms, languages, artists, and world cultures, overcoming both geographic and culturally dictated borders.

This year’s festival will host poets from Latvia, Catalonia, France, India, Italy, Norway, Palestine, Senegal, Spain, the United States, and Great Britain.

On October 18, Liāna Langa, the only participant from the Baltic States, will give two readings at events featuring the festival’s guests.

Two of the festival’s guests, Italian poet Paolo Rufilli and Israeli poet Sabina Mesega, also participated in Latvia’s Poetry Days festival, where they inaugurated a collaboration with Langa, who later received an invitation to participate in Israel’s prestigious SHA`AR festival.

Information prepared by the Latvian Writers Union

15.10.2007.

Latvia Participates in the Frankfurt Book Fair

The annual Frankfurt Book Fair took place this year in Frankfurt, Germany, from October 10 – 14. Latvia was represented at the fair by the Latvian Literature Center, the Latvian Publishers Association, several publishing houses, including Dienas Grāmata, Zvaigzne ABC, and Liels un mazs, and the printing houses Preses nams and Jelgavas tipogrāfija.

The Latvian stand introduced visitors to the latest works by Latvian authors – which had received awards in various competitions, including the Annual Literature Prize, the Jānis Baltvilks Award for Children’s Literature and Illustration, and the illustration competition “Zelta ābele” – as well as books about Riga and Latvia, non-fiction works, and translations of Latvian literature into German and other foreign languages.

The Latvian stand at the Frankfurt Book Fair was comprised of the same cardboard bookshelves and furniture used at the recent Göteborg Book Fair. The stand, designed by Jānis Mercs of SIA Vējiem Līdzi, piqued the interest of visitors, beckoning them to come linger awhile and learn more about Latvia and Latvian literature.

This year, the Frankfurt Book Fair featured 7,448 stands, representing 108 countries, and took up a total area of 172,000 square meters. The guest of honor at this year’s fair was Catalan culture and literature. During the fair, several world-famous writers, including Umberto Eco and Günter Grass, gave readings of their works.

Latvia’s participation at the Frankfurt Book Fair was supported by the Latvian Ministry of Culture and the State Culture Capital Foundation.

10.10.2007.

Latvia Scheduled to be the Special Guest at the 2008 Göteborg Book Fair

“Ever since Lithuania and Estonia first participated in the book fair, the Swedes have understood more about the Baltic States. Now we have invited Latvia to be the guest country at next year’s fair,” said Anna Falck, Executive Director of the Göteborg Book and Library Fair, at the book fair’s closing press conference, on Sunday, September 30, divulging a piece of information that had, until then, been kept secret.

“Taisām tiltu pār plašu jūru (Let’s Build a Bridge Across the Wide Sea) is the name of a novel written by exile Latvian writer Dzintars Sodums, who lived in Sweden during the 1950s. Latvia is honored to be the guest country at the 2008 Göteborg Book Fair. We will built a new bridge that will unite Swedish and Latvian literature, art, and music; we will also introduce the project for the Latvian National Library’s new building, and, together with our neighbors, celebrate the ninetieth anniversary of the Republic of Latvia,” said Latvian Literature Centre Director Jānis Oga at the press conference.

“History consists of stories about events. Literature is made up of stories about individuals. Latvia is one of Sweden’s closest neighbors. Latvia’s vital and manifold contemporary literature deals with individuals – what they are, what they were, and what they will become. We’ll turn more attention to this next year,” said poet and translator Juris Kronbergs.

Next year, more than fifteen books by Latvian authors will be published in Sweden, including, among others, a collection of poetry by Knuts Skujenieks; Alberts Bels’s novel Cilvēki laivās (People in Boats); Nora Ikstena’s novel Dzīves svinēšana (A Celebration of Life); Laima Muktupāvela’s novel Šampinjonu Derība (The Champignon Testament); an anthology of contemporary Latvian stories and poetry; a collection of poetry and stories dedicated to Riga; and a collection of mythological folk songs. More than thirty poets, writers, critics, and members of the government and non-government organizations will travel to Göteborg next year to talk about Latvia and Latvians.

Thanks to the efforts of poet and translator Juris Kronbergs, Swedish readers have had the opportunity, since the 1970s, to read Swedish translation of works by Aleksandrs Čaks, Dzintars Sodums, Vizma Belševica, Imants Ziedonis, Knuts Skujenieks, Uldis Bērziņš, Sandra Kalniete, Jānis Elsbergs, Inguna Jansone, and Edvīns Raups, among others.

The Göteborg Book Fair has taken place every year since 1985, and is the largest event of its kind in Scandinavia and the Baltic States. This year, more than 100,000 visitors, 880 participants, and 1,400 journalists attended the fair, where 1,850 writers and lecturers took part in 2,350 various readings and seminars.

In 2005, Lithuania was the guest country at the Göteborg Book Fair; this year’s guest was Estonia. Latvia was the guest country at the Prague Book Fair in 2006; Lithuania was the guest at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2003 and the Turin Book Fair in 2007.

The 23 rd Annual Göteborg Book and Library Fair was unveiled by Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and the Executive Director of the Göteborg Book Fair, Anna Falck. The President expressed his joy in returning to his homeland, and joked that he is the only president in the world born in Sweden. (Ilves was born in Stockholm, where his parents had fled during the Second World War.) The Estonian President stressed the importance of literature in the awareness of not only an individual country’s identity but also the world’s identity.

A delegation of more than one hundred Estonians had traveled to Göteborg. Twenty Estonian books were translated into Swedish especially for the Göteborg Book Fair. Estonia organized a large program of events, which highlighted Estonian literature, art, music, cinema, and theater; the events took place at Göteborg’s Svenska Mässan exhibition hall and at various locations throughout the city. At the book fair, a collaboration was initiated with the Latvian studio Rija’s animated film Lote no Izgudrotāju ciema (Lote from the Inventors Village) (2006).

The idea behind Estonia’s interesting “black box” stand could be interpreted both literally and symbolically. The stand, shaped like a black cube, called to mind an airplane’s black box; important information about Estonia was told through the medium of the Estonian language and Estonian literature The Estonian stand also became a quiet and peaceful relaxation area, where participants could meet for negotiations and relax from the hustle and bustle of the fair.

Estonia’s project manager Kristo Tovers, wishing Latvia the best of luck, presented the Latvians with a ring – a symbolic “black box.”

The events and seminars featuring Latvian authors – writers Juris Kronbergs, Laima Muktupāvela, Agnese Krivade, Kārlis Vērdiņš, and historian Aivars Stranga – were also a success. Visitors to the Latvian exhibit were particularly impressed by the cardboard stand and furniture, designed by cardboard-furniture designers and the Latvian company SIA Vējiem Līdzi.

The participation of the Latvian Literature Centre and the Latvian authors was financed by the State Culture Capital Foundation and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia. The participation of the Latvian Literature Centre’s project manager Arita Gutāne and the poets Agnese Krivade and Kārlis Vērdiņš was supported by the Baltic Sleipnir program, which is organized by the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Latvia.

01.10.2007.

The Literature Across Frontiers Poetry Translation Workshop to Take Place in Latvia This Week

From September 10 – 16, writers from Italy , the Czech Republic , Israel , and Turkey will visit Latvia in order to participate in the Literature Across Frontiers Poetry Translation Workshop and various other events organized as part of the annual Poetry Days.

The poetry translation workshop is one of the most important annual events organized by Literature Across Frontiers, and takes place in a different country each year. This year, the seminar will host poet Sabina Messeg, from Israel ; writer Paolo Rufilli, from Italy; Enver Ercan and Ataol Behramoğlu , from Turkey; Petr Borkovec, from the Czech Republic; and the director of Literature Across Frontiers , translator Alexandra Buchler, from Great Britain . Latvia will be represented at the workshop by Dagnija Dreika and Uldis Bērziņš.

The workshop will take place at the International Writers’ and Translators’ House in Ventspils. Participants will translate works of poetry every day, working both individually and in groups; the poets will have word-for-word English translations at their disposal to help them render the poems into their own languages. The translations will then be shared at readings , which will be followed by group discussions . More than one hundred poems will be translated at the seminar. The Literature Across Frontiers Poetry Translation Workshop is a wonderful beginning for future collaboration, original projects, and the publication of new works.

The participants will also read from their works at the Poetry Days event “Guest Evening,” on September 13, at 20.00, in the restaurant A.Suns. The Turkish poets will be at the center of attention on September 14, at the literary event “Two Turks”; Latvian poets Uldis Bērziņš, Pēters Brūveris, and others will also be in attendance. The event will begin at 16.00 in the Photography Museum , located at Mārstaļu iel a 18.

The workshop is organized by Literature Across Frontiers, in collaboration with the Latvian Literature Centre, and supported by the European Union program Culture 2000 , the Latvian Ministry of Culture, and the State Culture Capital Foundation.

11.09.2007.

German Debut of Māra Zālīte’s Play Zemes nodoklis (Grundsteuer)

On September 13, at 19.30, the Theater Krefeld-Mönchengladbach will host the German debut of Māra Zālīte’s tragicomedy Zemes nodoklis (Land Tax, in English; Grundsteuer , in German), written in 2003.

Zālīte’s play was translated into German by Matthias Knoll, who will attend the performance along with the author. This is the fourth foreign production of Zemes nodoklis this year. The play has already been staged in Lithuania , Slovenia , and Estonia , and has been translated into Lithuanian, English, German, Russian, and Slovenian.

The tragicomedy Zemes nodoklis , which Zālīte originally signed with the pseudonym Laura Kalnciema, was met with great acclaim at the Latvian Playwright Guild’s 2003 Play Competition, and received the Annual Literature Prize for dramaturgy. Since its publication, the play has been performed in Sweden and San Francisco and has toured Australia .

On September 16, a reading of Zālīte’s work in Latvian and German will take place in Siegburg as part of Latvian Culture Day. Translator Matthias Knoll will also participate in the event.

10.09.2007.

A Reading by Juris Kronbergs in Uppsala

On Saturday, 8 September, at 20.00, Juris Kronbergs will read from his book Vilks Vienacis (Wolf One-Eye) at the Uppsala English Bookshop, located at St. Olofsgatan 32, in Uppsala , Sweden . The reading will take place in English, Latvian, and Swedish.

Latvian poet and translator Juris Kronbergs, who resides in Sweden , will participate in the reading along with his wife, the playwright and translator Māra Rozītis. The event has been organized by The English Bookshop, in collaboration with the Latvian Embassy in Sweden , as part of Uppsala ‘s annual “Culture Night.”

Juris Kronbergs’ book Wolf One-Eye, which features poems in both English and Latvian, was published as part of the series, Visible Poets, by British publisher Arc Publications in the end of the previous year. Wolf One-Eye is the first book by a Latvian poet to be translated into English and published in full by an overseas publisher.

The book was translated into English by Mara Rozitis. Estonian poet Jaan Kaplinsky wrote the foreword.

04.09.2007.

Ērika Bērziņa’s Poems To Be Included in the Anthology Bridges

This year, the young Latvian poet Ērika Bērziņa participated in the annual international competition “Bridges of Struga” with her first collection of poetry, Ziemeļu lapsa (Northern Fox). Belgian poet Manua Rime received the top prize in the competition.

Poems by the writers who participated in the competition, including works by Ērika Bērziņa, will be published in the anthology Bridges ; each poem will appear in the original language, in a Macedonian translation, and in one major international language. The anthology will be published in October of this year, and will also be available on the internet, at www.svp.org.mk .

The “Bridges of Struga” prize, founded in 2003 by the Macedonian Ministry of Culture, in collaboration with UNESCO, is awarded for a first work of poetry and has been conferred on young poets from all over the world.

The translation of Ērika Bērziņa’s poetry was supported by the Latvian Literature Centre.

23.08.2007.

Support for Foreign Publishers Publishing Latvian Literature

The deadline for sending the applications is 1 October 2007 (should be received at premises of Latvian Literature Centre until this date).

8.08.2007.

Inga Ābele Participates in a Bilingual Reading in Switzerland

A bilingual French-and-Latvian reading of Inga Ābele’s short story “ Kā allaž industrijas” took place during the Festival de la Cité in Lausanne , Switzerland , on 6 July; the hour-long reading was organized in Lausanne ‘s Small Theater, near the Lausanne Cathedral. Ābele read her story in Latvian, and French actress Ariane Moret, of Paris ‘s Bilbao Theater, read the story in a French translation.

French actress Ariane Moret has worked in theater, film, and television. She has performed in Ibsen’s Nora and Molière’s Don Juan , and has played the role of Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet .

Inga Ābele writes poetry and prose and is the author of several plays. Ābele received the Annual Literature Prize for drama in 2003 and for the short-story collection Sniega laika piezīmes in 2004. Her works have been translated into English, German, French, Russian, Italian, and Lithuanian.

Inga Ābele’s participation in the reading was supported by the Latvian Literature Centre.

24.07.2007.

Janis Elsbergs reads his work in Whales

The Sealines Project, linking six European port cities through a series of writers’ residencies to create a literary and multimedia portrait of each city, is continuing in full swing. Janis Elsbergs, Latvian writer and translator, has just returned from Whales where he read The Cardiff Exercises, short prose in Latvian and English inspired by and written during his stay in the Welsh capital last year. The readings took place in the Norwegian Church, Cardiff Bay on 8th June and in Llanystumdwy, a village in North Whales, on 10th June as a part of the international Ty Newydd Festival. Elsbergs’ readings were accompanied by an exhibition of two paintings by Welsh artist Ffion Rhys that were inspired by Elsbergs’ work. Both authors were introduced and interviewed by other participants of the Sealines Project, Ian Davidson, Welsh poet and professor, and Robert Minhinnick, poet and environmental activist. In August, an inspiring Sealines Project event is scheduled to take place in Riga. Ian Davidson, Maltese writer Clare Azzopardi and Irish poet Michael O’Laughlin will come to Latvia to read work inspired by their previous visit.

12.06.2007.

Poetry Evenings with Juris Kronbergs, in Tallinn and Tartu

The Latvian Embassy in Estonia, in collaboration with the Department of Culture of the Riga City Council and the Latvian Literature Centre, has organised two poetry evenings with poet and translator Juris Kronbergs – at the Latvian Embassy in Tallinn, on 11 April, and the Tartu Art Museum, on 12 April.

During the events, Juris Kronbergs will read from his poetry, which will be translated into Estonian by Guntars Godiņš and Livia Viitol. Music will be provided by the legendary group Vilks Vienacis (Kristaps Grasis, Juris Kulakovs, Justīne Kulakova, Liene Sējāne, Juris Sējāns, Leons Sējāns, and Reinis Sējāns). Works from Juris Kronbergs and Kristaps Grasis’s CD Vilks Vienacis will also be performed.

In February of this year, the Estonian publishing house Loomingu Raamatukogu published a collection of poems by Juris Kronbergs, Maa-alune luule (Underground Poetry), translated by Guntars Godiņš and Livia Viitol.

In late 2006, the British publishing house Arc Publications published Juris Kronbergs’s book of poetry Vilks Vienacis (Wolf One-Eye), in an English translation by Māra Rozītis. This is the first English translation of a book of poetry by a Latvian poet to be published in full by a foreign publisher.

The information about these events was compiled by the Latvian Embassy in Estonia and the Latvian Literature Centre

The Second Issue of the Magazine Lettische Literatur Has Been Published

Shortly before the Leipzig Book Fair, the Latvian Literature Centre, with the financial support of the State Culture Capital Foundation and the Latvian Ministry of Culture, published the magazine Lettische Literatur #2, which includes German translations of Latvian literature.

The magazine features Māris Čaklais’s story “Trīs vīri no Vulgārijas” (Three Men From Vulgaria; Drei Männer aus Vulgärien); Guntis Berelis’s “Heidegera kungam patīk kaķi” (Martin Heidegger Likes Cats; Martin Heidegger mag Katzen); Dace Rukšāne’s story “Suns” (The Dog; Der Hund); excerpts from Inga Abele’s work of poetic prose, Atgāzenes stacijas zirgi (The Horses from Atgazene Station) (Thirteen Prose Poems; Dreizehn Prosagedichte); Nora Ikstena’s story “Lakatiņš baltais” (The White Handkerchief; Das Taschentuch, das weiße), from her book Dzīves stāsti (Life Stories); Laima Muktupāvela’s story “Jāņi. Pārgadskārtu vizīte. Kārtīgas plēsoņas pastāsts” (Midsummer’s Eve. The Biennial Visit. A Story Told by a True Predator; Die alljährliche Visite. Eine brave Raubkatze erzählt); Pauls Bankovskis’s “Sārtais” (Rosy; Rosig); and Kārlis Vērdiņš’s “Pasaka par zelta jumpravu” (The Fairytale of the Golden Virgin; Das Märchen von der goldenen Jungfrau).

The magazine’s editor and conceptual author is Matthias Knoll, a translator and advocate of Latvian literature in German-speaking countries. The first issue of Lettische Literatur appeared in 2005.

Results of the Competition “Support for Foreign Publishers Publishing Latvian Literature”

The competition “Support for Foreign Publishers Publishing Latvian Literature,” organised by the Latvian Literature Centre in collaboration with the State Culture Capital Foundation’ cultural programme “Latvian Literature in the World,” has concluded. A total of sixteen applications were received from publishing houses in Sweden, Bulgaria, Lithuania, France, Germany, Ukraine, Denmark, and the United States.

A meeting of the experts committee took place on 7 March, with the participation of committee members Raimonds Briedis (State Culture Capital Foundation), Artūrs Punte (State Culture Capital Foundation), Līga Buševica (Latvian Ministry of Culture), Ieva Lešinska-Geibere (Latvian Literature Centre), Karstens Lomholts (Latvian Literature Centre), and Latvian Literature Centre director Jānis Oga.

List of Projects Supported by the Programme “Support for Publishers Publishing Latvian Literature,” Organised by the State Culture Capital Foundation as Part of the Cultural Programme “Latvian Literature in the World”

The Latvian Literature Centre Participates in the Leipzig Annual Book Fair

Representative from the Latvian Literature Centre, along with writers Laima Muktupāvela and Pauls Bankovskis, will be in attendance at the Leipzig Annual Book Fair, which will take place this year from 22 to 25 March.

On Thursday, 22 March, from 13.30 to 14.45, Pauls Bankovskis will participate in the forum Kleine Sprachen – groβe Literaturen, where he will read a fragment from his book Ofšors (Offshore), published last year. Translator Berthold Forssman, an advocate of Latvian literature in Germany, will read a fragment of the work in his German translation.

Laima Muktupāvela will read from her novel Šampinjonu derība (The Mushroom Testament) on 23 March, from 14.45 to 16.00. The book will be published in Germany, in a German translation by Berthold Forsmann, in the fall of this year. At 19.30, Muktupāvela will participate in a large group reading at the Grassi Museum.

Both writers will read excerpts from their works as part of the event Leipzig liest, on the last day of the book fair, 25 March, from 14.30 to 15.30.

The Leipzig book fair was first established in the 17th century. Today, it is the second largest book publishers’ event, after the Frankfurt Book Fair. This year, more than 2,200 publishers and organisations from thirty countries will introduce their recent publications and new authors and discuss the latest trends in the world of book publishing.

For more information, please visit the web page of the Leipzig book fair:
http://www.leipziger-messe.de/LeMMon/buch_web_eng.nsf

Support for Foreign Publishers Publishing Latvian Literature

Latvian Literature Centre in cooperation with State Culture Capital Foundation has announced a contest Support for Foreign Publishers Publishing Latvian Literature, part of the cultural program Latvian Literature in the World, and invites applications from publishers worldwide.

The deadline for sending the applications is 2 March 2007 (should be received at premises of Latvian Literature Centre until this date).

The Opening Ceremony of Juris Kronbergs’ Wolf One-Eye in London

Photo by Māra Rozītis

On 16 November at the Latvian Embassy in London, the opening of the book Wolf One-Eye was held attended by British modern literature enthusiasts. Author Juris Kronbergs, translator Mara Rozitis and Latvian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Indulis Berzins, Director of the Latvian Literature Centre Janis Oga, as well as Tony Ward and Angela Jarman of Arc Publications were present at the event. The Latvian Literature Centre is grateful to the Latvian Embassy to the UK for organizing the occasion.

Exile Years of Rainis and Aspazija Commemorated in Latvia and Switzerland

This year, several events commemorating Rainis and Aspazija are going to be held both in Latvia and Switzerland. They are focused on the time 100 years ago when both poets arrived in Switzerland, the place of their exile. The celebrations related to the 100th Anniversary of Rainis and Aspazija’s exile will reach culmination between 13 and 15 November when a delegation of the Riga City Council will be visiting Switzerland.

On 15 November in Zurich, by the house Number 14 on Usteri-Strasse where Rainis and Aspazija used to live, a commemorative plaque by artist Janis Strupulis will be unveiled. Mayor of Riga Aivars Aksenoks and Mayor of Zurich Elmar Ledergerberg, as well as Ambassador of Latvia to Switzerland Aivars Groza are expected to take part in the ceremony.

Whilst living on Number 14 Usteri-Strasse, Rainis wrote two plays, Imants and Joseph and His Brothers, and Aspazija created An Armful of Flowers (“Ziedu klēpis”), a collection of poems. Both poets were influenced by Swiss culture life, playwriting and theatre traditions. Till the end of his days, Rainis considered Switzerland a paradigm of modern democracy.

Head of the Castagniola Literature Archive Antonio Gilli will be presented with a portrait of Aspazija by Latvian artist Karilis Neilis (1906–1991). It is believed that he painted the poet’s portrait in the nineteen thirties. Journalist Aivars Jansons, who inherited the painting, wanted it to go be brought to Switzerland, to the people taking care of Rainis and Aspazija’s heritage.

In Latvia, a book by Vita Matiss, Borders. Rainis and Aspazija Between Latvia and Switzerland, has been published. A presentation of the book will also take place in Zurich on 15 November.

Information prepared by Velta Purina and Kristine Pavlovska
Public Relations Department of the Riga City Council

Dzintars Sodums’ Selected Poems Published in Sweden

Photo by Māra Rozītis

This month in Sweden, the Publishing House Ariel Skrifter launched a book of selected poems by Latvian writer, poet and translator Dzintars Sodums, “A Hedgehog in the Well” (Igelkotten i brunnen). Meanwhile the author himself has recently returned to Latvia after sixty years in exile.

“A Hedgehog in the Well” includes poems written in Latvia, Sweden and the US. Poet Juris Kronbergs, who selected and translated the verses as well as wrote the endnote, introduced Swedish readers to Dzintars Sodums’ work and to post World War II Latvian literature abroad at the seminar “Stalin, Karl XII and Latvian Poetry”, which was held at the Goteborg International Book Fair. There were three young poets who entered the literary scene in 1950, Dzintars Sodums, Velta Sniķere and Ojārs Jēgens.

Sodums was born on 13 May, 1922 in Riga. He went to school in Riga, but in 1943 was drafted into the Latvian Legion of the German Army. Sodums defected in October 1944 and emigrated to Sweden a year later. Since 1963, he has been living in the US.

Sodums has dedicated his whole life to Latvian language and literature. He has written four novels, “Raised for My Country” (2002), “Building a Bridge Across the Wide Sea” (1957), “Crooks’ Story” 1943-1944 (2002), “Young in Exile” (1997). Sodums’ translations — Hermann Hesse’s “Narcissus and Goldmund” (Narziss und Goldmund) (1951), John Steinbeck’s “The Pearl” (in collaboration with Rihards Ridzinieks, 1954) and particularly James Joyce’s “Ulysses” (1960) — have contributed to the development of Latvian prose.

In 2001, Publishing House “Atena” started publishing Sodums’ Collected Works

Dzintars Sodums’ Selected Poems Published in Sweden

From 21 to 24 September, the Latvian Literature Centre is participating in the Goteborg International Book Fair, which is one of the biggest cultural events in Sweden. About 800 participants from 34 countries will gather there and the number of visitors is expected to reach more than 100 000 people.

The main topic of the 22nd Goteborg Book Fair is the freedom of expression. Nobel Peace Prize Winner Shirin Ebadi and 1997 Pulitzer Prize Winner Frank McCourt, author of “Angela’s Ashes”, will be among the guests of the Fair.

Dzintars Sodums’ collected poems “A Hedgehog in the Well” will be launched in Sweden in the days of the Book Fair. The book has been complied and translated by poet Juris Kronbergs. From 1.30 till 1.50PM on 24 September Kronbergs will be chairing the seminar “Stalin, Karl XII and Latvian Poetry”. He will talk about Sodums’ work as well as the situation in Latvian literature after World War II when many Latvian refugees ended up in Western Europe, including Sweden, and a new generation of poets entered the scene bringing a different view of life and the experience of war with them.

At the Goteborg Book Fair, the Latvian Literature Centre is working together with the delegates from Literature Across Frontiers, the European program of literary activities, whose aim is to inform about the latest in Portuguese, Catalan, Icelandic, Estonian and Latvian literature, and to advertise translations and publishing opportunities

Sealines project in Riga

From August 5 to September 3 Riga will be the host city for 3 foreign writers – Michael O’Laughlin (Ireland), Clare Azzopardi (Malta) and Ian Davidson (Wales) within the Sealines project, which will link 6 European port cities with a tradition of literary bilingualism through a series of writers’ residencies to create a literary multimedia portrait of each city. The cities involved will be four capitals: Cardiff, Helsinki, Riga and Valletta, and two regional ports: Galway on the West Coast of Ireland and Koper (Capodistria) on the Slovenian coast.

The visiting authors will be given an opportunity to become acquainted with the local literary scene, as well as to explore a particular aspect of the city’s cultural, marine and economic history, for example through a residency co-sponsored by the port authority, a museum, or a major industry through which they will be able to find out about the port’s past and be in contact with its contemporary life.

The central theme of the project will be intercultural communication as the main impetus of cultural development and innovation, from the time of maritime voyages to today’s electronically interconnected global village. Literary bilingualism will be taken as a paradigm of a potential for intercultural dialogue that is not always fully realized.

Three Latvian writers have already been the residents of the Sealines project: Semyon Khanin and Arthur Punte in Galway, Jānis Elsbergs – in Cardiff. In October Latvian writer Laima Muktupāvela will go to Valetta and Latvian writer Egīls Venters – to Koper.

The project Sealines has evolved from the successful week-long poetry translation workshops organized by Literature Across Frontiers in cooperation with festivals and book fairs where the resulting translations and original poetry were performed, sometimes with music.

Latvian Literature centre is taking care of the successful process of the Sealines project here in Riga.

Sealines is a Literature Across Frontiers project supported by the Culture 2000 programme of the European Union and State Culture Capital Foundation (Latvia).

Sealines project in Riga

Welcome to the International Writers’ and Translators’ House

In summer 2006, Ventspils becomes home for a new and modern international residence centre for writers and translators – the Ventspils House . The idea of the Ventspils House belongs to writer Nora Ikstena. Thanks to the initiative of the Minister of Culture Helena Demakova and her successful cooperation with the Mayor of Ventspils Aivars Lembergs and the Director of the Latvian Literature Centre Marta Dziluma, the Ventspils House will be opened on June 30, 2006. The House is set up in the historical Town Hall, which was built in the 18 th century and is situated in the Old Town, the historical centre of the town, next to the new Library of Ventspils. The building has been rebuilt and adjusted to the needs of creative work and literary activities. The House holds 7 residential premises, computer room, reading room, kitchen, parking lot, a small garden, and recreational premises.

In 2005, the State budget means have been allocated for the renovation and equipping of the building according to the functions of a creative residence. In 2006, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia has allocated means from the State budget for launching and ensuring the activities of the Writers’ and Translators’ House. Further financing will be yearly planned by the Ministry. In 2006, the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia allotted the programme “Creative process in the Ventspils International Writers’ and Translators’ House” a grant.

Ventspils is one of the oldest towns of Latvia, the beginnings of which are related to the construction of the Livonia Order castle in 1290, today – an internationally acknowledged centre of education, science, culture and sports in a beautiful, green, orderly environment.

From summer 2006, we offer the writers and translators:

• a place for creative work in one of the most beautiful towns of Latvia at the coast of the Baltic Sea

• an opportunity to live and work at the Ventspils House for up to 4 weeks

• to discover Ventspils – a town, where history meets future, and the coast of the Baltic Sea – one of the most lovely and inspiriting coastlines in the Baltics

• to meet writers from Latvia, the Baltic Countries, Europe and from all over the world

• a possibility to take part in creative co-operation projects – festivals, seminars etc.

Thanks to the State Culture Capital Foundation, the Ventspils House offers premiums for creative literary work at the Ventspils House up to four weeks. Every professional writer and translator from all over the world is invited to apply for the premium. Please ask the premium application form from the contact persons mentioned below.

The organisations of literature and other arts we offer:

• a venue for seminars, conferences, experience exchange workshops;

• an option for small creative groups to book the Ventspils House for brainstorming.

For more information on residence opportunities please contact Andra Konste , Director of the Ventspils House , andra.konste@ventspilshouse.lv , phone +371 29207353 or Ieva Balode , International Project Co-ordinator , ieva.balode@ventspilshouse.lv , phone +371 26449426.

Address:
International Writers’ and Translators’ House
Annas iela 13, Ventspils, LV-3601, Latvia

BOOKWORLD FOCUSED ON LATVIA

Vladimir Novotny

Reflex 10.05.2006.

The first week of May witnessed the 12 th BookWorld – International Book Fair and Literary Festival held in Prague, even though the public may have been more drawn to such ephemeral hits as Václav Havel’s chaotic almost-memoirs, Miloš Zeman’s even more chaotic rant or the Klaus-styled vainglorious far-from-wonderful diary of Michal Viewegh – titles, that will be forgotten in an instant. But even after many years we can still be acknowledging the fact that this year’s BookWorld became a tribute to Latvia’s small yet vigorous writing.

Indeed: Prague and the book fair played host to no less than eighteen (in words: eighteen!) leading poets and writers from the much-tried Baltic country, that suffered cruel Soviet cultural genocide in 1940 and then again in 1944 and 1945. They were accompanied by the ministress of education and science and, of course, the Latvian ambassadress in the Czech Republic (in Latvia they are not afraid of women in the administration and Latvian women show interest in these posts), and performed at a total of forty four (!!) Latvian accompanying cultural programmes, some featuring a Latvian folk-rock band… And above all – on the initiative of the Latvian Literary Centre and, on the Czech part, courtesy of the dedication of the Czech Baltic studies expert Pavel Štoll – a well-informed programme catalogue was compiled, complete with detailed information on the Latvian writers, and, within the context of the book fair, the Czech translations of three Latvian books were published, despite the fact that in the past – with the exception of last year’s publication of Sandra Kalniete’s documentary prose with the tragically grotesque title V plesových střevíčkách sibiřským sněhem ( With Dancing Shoes in Siberian Snows – published by Lubor Kasal press), Latvian literature had no bed of roses in the Czech Republic.

Now the ice has broken: the very same Lubor Kasal is to be credited with the publication of Nespavost ( Insomnia ), the work of a classic Latvian writer Alberts Bels (banned for many years by Soviet censors) and Fra publishers have brought out an Anthology of Contemporary Latvian Poetry (deservedly also featuring Russian poets living in Latvia). Much praise is also merited by the Prague-based publishing house One Woman Press, introducing not just one but four contemporary Latvian prose writers in the book Krajinou samoty ( The Lonely Landscape ). Important contribution to these anthologies was made by the above-mentioned editor Pavel Štoll.

And now for a bit of daydreaming: let us imagine that somewhere in Sweden, Italy or perhaps Greece, countries bigger than the Czech Republic, a feast similar to that enjoyed by the Latvians in Prague will be afforded to Czech literature at a local prestigious book fair: it will be attended by eighteen Czech authors, the ministress of culture (we haven’t had one yet!) or the minister of culture (we’ve had many, but which one has been any real help for our culture?), it will be accompanied by many programmes, and we will see the publication of an anthology of Czech poetry, a book of short stories by Czech women writers and, let’s say, Urmedvěd ( The UrBear ) by Jiří Kratochvil – what a famed event that would be! Maybe one day it will all happen. We should, therefore, have all the more appreciation for the fact that Prague has managed to arrange such a dignified celebration of modern Latvian literature. Modern – but, surprisingly so, not too much postmodern!