“Amizantais? To each his own Imants Ziedonis: A Book and Exhibition by Ziedonis Museum”

Celebrating the 1990s of friends and contemporaries – Erika Hanberg and Imanta Ziedoņa, the Ziedoņa Museum opened the book “Amizantais? To each his own Imants Ziedonis” together with the authors of the stories published in the book.

Eric Hanberg has been close to the birth of Ziedonis Museum and is a member of the museum’s Board of Trustees. He is widely known and recognized as an eternally youthful and always optimistic writer who, like Imants Ziedonis, will celebrate his ninetieth birthday this May. Mr. Hanberga told the museum team how he and Imanta Ziedoni met at a seminar for young authors in the middle of the 20th century, when both worked in parallel in the field of rural journalism and when they toured rural farms for fifteen years in competitions organized by the Latvian Culture Fund. The acquaintance and friendship of Ziedonis and Hanberg has been strengthened by the tuberculosis diagnosed by both of them, which they treated, often being together in a sanatorium. A little more than ten years ago, Eric and Imants agreed that they could celebrate their birthdays together, because they were both born in the same year and the same month. The engagement was very beautiful, but Imants soon passed away, and Erik Hanberg decided not to celebrate at all. Over time, things have turned out so that ninety years can be celebrated for both gentlemen with a joint book.

The joint project of Eric Hanberg and the Ziedonis Museum – the book “Amizantais? Everyone has his own Imants Ziedonis” – is a gift to Imants Ziedonis on his anniversary. Artist Aivars Vilipsons, designer Anete Krūmiņa and editor Gundega Blumbergs also took part in the creation of the book. The book also developed into an exhibition in two parts called “I’m not saying goodbye again”, where one, the traveling part, can be viewed in the foyer of the Riga Latvian Society building until May 31. On the other hand, the second part of the exhibition “I’m not saying goodbye again” is freely available 24/7 in the Ziedonis Museum gallery, Sporta 2 quarter, Riga.

“This book is like a gift, of course, first of all to Imanta Ziedonis and Erik Hanberg in the nineties together, but also to us, those who are still interested in Imanta Ziedonis and are looking for the secret of the poet’s inexplicably strong personality. We thank Erik Hanberg for the opportunity to capture the same Imanta Ziedonis that Erik has seen,” says Rūta Šmite, head of the Ziedonis Museum.

The book “Funny? To each his own Imants Ziedonis” is available in bookstores throughout Latvia and in the Internet store of the Imants Ziedonis Foundation “Viegli” on the website www.fondsviegli.lv. More information about the book and the exhibition can be found on the social network profiles of the Ziedon Museum: facebook.com/Ziedonamuzejs/, instagram.com/ziedonamuzejs/ and on the website

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