Dzeja. Anthology of Contemporary Latvian Poetry
Despite its modern qualities, contemporary Latvian poetry is still very much connected to Latvian folk songs, which are said to be “as old as the Latvian language.” This is mostly due to the lack of a history of Latvian poetry, some Latvian scholars claim only half-joking. After the heroic but unsuccessful battles with Order of the Teutonic Knights in the 13th century, Latvians and Estonians were subject to the cruel authority of their German masters for more than six centuries. Circumstances did not improve later when they were subsumed into the Russian Empire. Folk songs (daina), for a long time the only poetic form in Latvia, were passed from generation to generation, mostly by women. Even today, many nations consider themselves a nation of poets, but, in Latvia’s case, this seems to be especially true. In 1841, the German geographer and traveller J.G. Kohl wrote: “It would be truly difficult in this day and age in Europe to find a nation that deserves to be called a nation of poets more than Latvia does. Likewise, it would be difficult to find a land that is more a land of poetry then Latvia. Every Latvian is born a poet, all write poetry and create songs – which can also be sung.”
Authors in the anthology are Anna Auziņa, Ingmāra Balode, Uldis Bērziņš, Inga Gaile, Justīne Janpaule, Liāna Langa, Artis Ostups, Marts Pujāts, Edvīns Raups, Katrīna Rudzīte, Māris Salējs, Kārlis Vērdiņš, Arvis Viguls, Inese Zandere. The poems were selected and edited by Artis Ostups and Klemen Pisk.
The anthology was published with the assistance of the Slovenian Book Agency and the Latvian Writers Union.