L I T E R A T U R E

Juris Kronbergs toasts fellow poet Uldis Bērziņš, who turned 75 last May, with two tongue-in-cheek poems titled “Uldis on Old Age”. Poetry selections are by Sandra Ratniece, Amanda Aizpuriete, Andrejs Turlajs, Andris Ogriņš and Osip Mandelstam (1891-1938) – translated from the Russian by Einārs Pelšs. Short stories are by Aivars Kļavis, Ilze Lāce-Verhaeghe and Evita Hofmane.

 

V I S U A L   A R T

The art of painter / sculptor Jānis Mintiks (1944-2014), on display until the end of this year in a special exhibit at the Global Center for Latvian Art (PLMC) in Cēsis, Latvia, is featured on pages 37, 38, 53, and 60. Baiba Magdalena Eglīte, a curator at PLMC, describes the life and career of the artist and tells the story of the the exhibit’s origins.

This summer the city of Cēsis hosted its 13th annual Arts Festival under the title “Tuvplāns” (Foreground), featuring the art of Edvīns Strautmanis and other Latvian New Yorkers. Dace Lamberga, curator of the Latvian National Art Museum, describes the exhibit.

Our Art editor Linda Treija, president of the American Latvian Artists Association (ALMA) introduces London-based Ilga Leimanis, whose enigmatic art is featured on the cover of this issue and on page 25.

 

M U S I C

Conductor / musicologist Gunta Plostniece describes concerts of chamber and orchestral music and performances of the Latvian State Academic Choir “Latvija” at the XV Latvian Song and Dance Festival in Toronto this past July.

 

H I S T O R Y

Inguna Daukste-Silasproģe, chief researcher at The University of Latvia’s Institute of Folklore and Art, presents a detailed and annotated account of the life in exile of one of Latvia’s most beloved poets and storytellers, Kārlis Skalbe, and of the genesis, 1952-1955, of a multi-volume compilation of his writings, Raksti.

Latvian MP Atis Lejiņš admires James Joyce’s Ulysses and its Latvian translation by Dzintars Sodums (1922-2008), and muses that the Latvian people should pay homage to the work of their greatest writers in the same way the Irish do for that book.

 

A C T U A L I T I E S

Otto Ozols criticizes the tendency of “academic cockroaches” in Latvia’s present government to obfuscate and not take seriously the threat to Latvia’s integrity in what is now universally known as Cold War 2.0.

 

B O O K S

Bārbala Simsone reviews Oskars Vizbulis’ collection of short stories Pēcjēzus vecuma sviests (The Plight of Outliving Jesus).

Gundega Zeehauza (Seehaus) reviews Inese Dreimane’s novel Vēstule ar pielikumu (A Letter with an Attachment).

Andrejs Grāpis reviews Māris Salējs’ latest collection of poetry, Tuvošanās (The Approach).

Lāsma Gaitniece reviews two books, Valdis Rūmnieks’ No Raiņa līdz Čakam. Atmiņas, piedzīvojumi un pārdzīvojumi 1980-2018.(From Rainis to Čaks. Memories, Adventures and Experiences), and Baiba Šāberte’s Gunārs Astra. Sirdsapziņas cietumnieks (Gunārs Astra, Prisoner of Conscience).

 

B R I E F L Y   N O T E D

Members of our editorial team describe recently published books, cultural events and awards.