Imants Ziedonis
Encyclopedia
Imants Ziedonis is a Latvia
n poet who first rose to fame during the Soviet occupation period of Latvia
.
, Latvia
. He was educated at the University of Latvia
in Riga
where he earned a degree in philology
in 1959. He earned an additional degree in advanced literature in Moscow
in 1964. As a young man, Ziedonis worked in a wide variety of jobs ranging from librarian to road construction worker and from teacher to literary editor.
During the same period, Ziedonis began publishing work besides poetry. His 1965 Dzejnieka dienasgrāmata (1965, A Poet's Diary) and two years later his (1967, Along the Foamy Path) established his prose writing reputation as well.
His reputation established, Ziedonis rose to become the Chairman of the Writers' Union Board and Chairman of the Latvian Culture Foundation. Ziedonis considered defecting to the West but chose to remain in Latvia to preserve from what he perceived as Russian destruction the best of Latvian literature in the National Library.
In the 1970s Ziedonis became interested in the roots of Latvian folk culture. To this end, he built a house in the countryside outside the town of Murjāņi. The very act of building a house as private property was a defiant act in Latvia during the Soviet occupation period, so the choice to do so was in some respects a political statement. Ziedonis, however, emphasized his desire to establish his roots with the countryside. It was during this period that he began to collect and write folk tales and children's books. These included Krāsainās pasakas (1973, Colored Tales), Lāču pasaka (1976, Tales of Bears) and Blēņas un pasakas (1980, Twaddle and Tales). His children's book Kas tas ir — kolhozs? (1984, What is a Kolkhoz?) directly addressed the kolkhoz
or Soviet collective farm in an era when the collective system was under increasing scrutiny in Latvia as elsewhere in the USSR.
Ziedonis maintained an odd balance between dissidence and acceptance in the Soviet occupation era. As one of the most open voices in poetry during the Soviet occupation era, he repeatedly risked appearing as a dissident to the Soviet leaders. A leading voice in the perestroika period toward the end of the Soviet occupation era, Ziedonis was an outspoken advocate of freer expression and the growth of the Latvian Cultural Fund. This was particularly evident in his first published collection of essays Garainis, kas veicina vārīšanos (1976, Steam That Promotes Boiling). At the same time, Ziedonis never fully broke with the Soviet authorities. Indeed, in 1977, the year following his inflammatory essays, the Soviet government awarded him the National Poet of Soviet Latvia prize.
Following Latvian independence from the Soviet Union, Ziedonis in 1995 was awarded the Order of the Three Stars
, Latvia's highest honor for civic merit to the nation.
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n poet who first rose to fame during the Soviet occupation period of Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
.
Early life
Ziedonis was born in the Sloka fisherman's district of JūrmalaJurmala
Jūrmala is a city in Latvia, about 25 kilometers west of Riga. Jūrmala is a resort town stretching and sandwiched between the Gulf of Riga and the Lielupe River...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
. He was educated at the University of Latvia
University of Latvia
University of Latvia is a university located in Riga, Latvia. Being established in 1919, University of Latvia is the biggest university in the Baltic states.-History:...
in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
where he earned a degree in philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
in 1959. He earned an additional degree in advanced literature in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
in 1964. As a young man, Ziedonis worked in a wide variety of jobs ranging from librarian to road construction worker and from teacher to literary editor.
Imants Ziedonis
Ziedonis published his first major collection of poetry 'Zemes un sapņu smilts' ('Sand of earth and dreams') in 1961. By the end of the decade, he had established himself as among the preeminent voices of Latvian literature through publishing three more important collections of poetry: 'Sirds dinamīts' (1963, 'The heart's dynamite'), 'Motocikls' (1965, 'Motorcycle'), and 'Es ieeju sevī' (1968, 'I go into myself').During the same period, Ziedonis began publishing work besides poetry. His 1965 Dzejnieka dienasgrāmata (1965, A Poet's Diary) and two years later his (1967, Along the Foamy Path) established his prose writing reputation as well.
His reputation established, Ziedonis rose to become the Chairman of the Writers' Union Board and Chairman of the Latvian Culture Foundation. Ziedonis considered defecting to the West but chose to remain in Latvia to preserve from what he perceived as Russian destruction the best of Latvian literature in the National Library.
In the 1970s Ziedonis became interested in the roots of Latvian folk culture. To this end, he built a house in the countryside outside the town of Murjāņi. The very act of building a house as private property was a defiant act in Latvia during the Soviet occupation period, so the choice to do so was in some respects a political statement. Ziedonis, however, emphasized his desire to establish his roots with the countryside. It was during this period that he began to collect and write folk tales and children's books. These included Krāsainās pasakas (1973, Colored Tales), Lāču pasaka (1976, Tales of Bears) and Blēņas un pasakas (1980, Twaddle and Tales). His children's book Kas tas ir — kolhozs? (1984, What is a Kolkhoz?) directly addressed the kolkhoz
Kolkhoz
A kolkhoz , plural kolkhozy, was a form of collective farming in the Soviet Union that existed along with state farms . The word is a contraction of коллекти́вное хозя́йство, or "collective farm", while sovkhoz is a contraction of советское хозяйство...
or Soviet collective farm in an era when the collective system was under increasing scrutiny in Latvia as elsewhere in the USSR.
Ziedonis maintained an odd balance between dissidence and acceptance in the Soviet occupation era. As one of the most open voices in poetry during the Soviet occupation era, he repeatedly risked appearing as a dissident to the Soviet leaders. A leading voice in the perestroika period toward the end of the Soviet occupation era, Ziedonis was an outspoken advocate of freer expression and the growth of the Latvian Cultural Fund. This was particularly evident in his first published collection of essays Garainis, kas veicina vārīšanos (1976, Steam That Promotes Boiling). At the same time, Ziedonis never fully broke with the Soviet authorities. Indeed, in 1977, the year following his inflammatory essays, the Soviet government awarded him the National Poet of Soviet Latvia prize.
Following Latvian independence from the Soviet Union, Ziedonis in 1995 was awarded the Order of the Three Stars
Order of the Three Stars
Order of the Three Stars is order awarded for merits in service for Latvia. It was established in 1924 in remembrance of founding of Latvia. Its motto is "Per aspera ad astra"...
, Latvia's highest honor for civic merit to the nation.
Poetry
- Zemes un sapņu smilts. R.: LVI (1961)
- Sirds dinamīts. R.: LVI (1963)
- Motocikls. R.: Liesma (1965)
- Es ieeju sevī. R.: Liesma (1968)
- Epifānijas/ pirmā grāmata. R.: Liesma (1971)
- Kā svece deg. R.: Liesma (1971)
- Epifānijas/ otrā grāmata. R.: Liesma (1974)
- Caurvējš. R.: Liesma (1975)
- Poēma par pienu. R.: Liesma (1977)
- Epifānijas/ pirmā un otrā grāmata. R.: Liesma (1978)
- Man labvēlīgā tumsā. R.: Liesma (1979)
- Re, kā. R.: Liesma (1981)
- Viddivvārpa/ poēma grām. “Maize”, kopā ar L. Damianu. R.: Liesma (1982)
- Taureņu uzbrukums. R.: Liesma (1988)
- Viegli. R.: Preses nams (1993)
- Mirkļi. Foreles. R.: Teātra Anekdotes (1993)
- Epifānijas/ trešā grāmata. R.: Preses nams (1994)
- Ceļa sentiments. R.: Nordik (2000)
- Trioletas. R.: Pētergailis (2003)
Folk and Children's Tales
- Krāsainās pasakas. R.: Liesma (1973)
- Lāču pasaka. R.: Liesma (1976)
- Blēņas un pasakas. R.: Liesma (1980)
- Kas tas ir — kolhozs? R.: Liesma (1984)
- Sākamgrāmata. R.: Liesma (1985)
- Pasaka par bizi. R.: Jumava (1997)
Other Writings
- Dzejnieka dienasgrāmata. R.: Liesma (1965)
- Pa putu ceļu. R.: Liesma (1967)
- Kurzemīte: 1. grāmata. R.: Liesma (1970)
- Perpendikulārā karote co-athored with Vitaly Korotiču. R.: Liesma (1972)
- Kurzemīte. Otrā grāmata. R.: Liesma (1974)
- Garainis, kas veicina vārīšanos. Raksti, runas, studijas. R.: Liesma (1976)
- Tik un tā. R.: Liesma (1985)
- Mūžības temperaments. R.: Liesma (1991)
- Tutepatās. R.: Karogs (1992)
- Ne tas kādam jāzina. R.: Pētergailis (2005)