On March 30, the nominees of the Latvian Literature of the Year Award (LALIGABA) in five categories were nominated on Facebook, while the special award was given to the team of the international literature festival “Prose Readings 2020” led by Inga Žolude. The Commission of Experts has decided to award the Lifetime Achievement Award for a significant contribution to Latvian literature to two laureates – linguist and writer Lalita Muižniece and literary scholar Gunārs Bībers.
LALIGABA is the most important annual event in the field of literature in Latvia, it provides professional evaluation of literary works and recognition of the authors for the most outstanding works published in Latvian literature during the year.
Nominees for the Latvian Literature of the Year Award:
The best work of poetry
Amanda Aizpuriete “Before Moving” (“Neputns”)
Ingmara Balode “Poems of Our Era” (“Neputns”)
Katrīna Rudzīte “Comfortable portable wings” (“Neputns”)
Kārlis Vērdiņš “Ready Poetry” (“Neputns”)
The best work of prose
Inga Ābele “White Dress”, (“Daily Book”)
Inga Gaile “Writer”, (“Daily Book”)
Jānis Joņevs “Tiger”, (“Diary Book”)
Laura Vinogradova “River”, (“Star ABC”)
The best job for kids
Eriks Bērziņš’s “Mother’s Poems”, illustrated by Anna Vaivare, (“Big and Small”)
Ieva Melgalve, Elizabete Lukšo-Ražinska “Emī and Rū. The Heart of a Robot ”, illustrated by Guna Poga, (“ Tuta Media ”)
March Pujāts “Ej nu ej”, illustrated by Lāsma Pujāte, (“Big and small”)
Inga Žolude “For the First Time on Earth”, illustrated by Krišs Salmanis, (“Big and Small”)
The best translation
Eden van de Wendel’s novel “Summer of the Blue Grass” (“Big and Small”) translated from Dutch by Dena Dimiņa
Selected Poetry of Charles Bukovskis “Cod” by Jānis Elsbergs translated from English (“Neputns”)
Jurace Ville’s graphic story “Siberian Haiku” translated from Lithuanian by Dace Meiere, illustrated by Lina Itagaki, (“Big and Small”)
Leonid Dobichin’s novel “Enpils”, translated from Russian by Mara Polakova, (“Orbit”)
The brightest debut
Elvira Blom’s “Deleted Images” (Orbit)
Andris Kalnozols “Calendar calls me”, (“Orbit”)
Ivars Šteinbergs “Hive”, (“Neputns”)
Lauris Veips “Interesting Days”, (“Orbit”)
According to the organizers of the award, the commission of experts has decided to award this year special award for special achievement in literature in 2020 for the team of the festival “Prose Readings 2020” led by writer Inga Žolude for a grand contribution to the festival in a pandemic, bringing together prose writers and readers in a digital environment. In 2020, the festival was held for the twenty-fifth time and for the first time in its history online, providing a diverse program full of current discussion topics and prose readings, reaching an even wider audience and providing the opportunity to listen to events not only live but also in recordings. The cash prize has been awarded for the organization of the next festival.
The representative of the expert commission, writer Sabīne Košeļeva summed up: “The Jubilee“ Prose Readings ”- the twenty-fifth in number – embodies not only the culmination of the development and transformation of the literary festival itself, but also the essence of last year’s world events. At a time when it would have been much easier to give up by hand, cancel readings or postpone them to better times, the festival
the organizers meticulously and skilfully adapted to the new rules of the game and, after a full program on various platforms, implemented it digitally, here and now, without waiting for better times. ”
This year, the commission of experts decided to award two lifetime awards for a significant contribution to Latvian literature.
Linguist and writer Lalita Muižniece was awarded the prize for her lifelong contribution to strengthening Latvianness, popularizing Latvian literature, folklore and language.
Lalita Muižniece was born on August 11, 1935. In 1944 he emigrated to Germany, later to the USA. The landlord graduated from the University of Western Michigan, has been a long-term lecturer of Latvian language courses at the University of Western Michigan and the head of the Latvian study program. She has created textbooks for Latvian schools in exile, led Latvian language seminars in Latvian exile camps and Garezers Secondary School. In 1981, thanks to Muižniece’s passion, an optional Latvian language course was established at the University of Western Michigan, and the program lasted until the restoration of Latvia’s national independence. With the support of Lalita Muižniece and her husband Valža Muižnieks, the Latvian Study Center in Kalamazoo was established. The landlord has developed new and modern language teaching methods for teaching Latvian born in exile. In 2014, she returned to live in Latvia. In 2020, Lalita Muižniece’s book Footprints was published by Mansards. Melita in Riga ”, which includes two works of prose -“ Footprints ”about the fateful 1941–1945. and the story “Melita in Riga” about visiting Latvia in 1974. In 2020, Lalita Muižniece, under the auspices of the Vītols Foundation, founded the Valža Muižnieks Memorial Scholarship with the aim of supporting the Baltic philology branch and its students at the University of Latvia.
Nora Ikstena, a representative of the expert commission, wrote: “Teodors Zeltiņš once described the poetry of the young poet Lalita Muižniece as a muted cloud light, adding that in such a light it is easier to throw a footbridge over time and the generation gap.
This has succeeded for Lalita Muižniece – to leave her mark on this footbridge – by constantly loving the Latvian language, working with it on a daily basis in the American exile environment. ”
Literary scholar Gunārs Bībers was awarded the prize for his lifelong contribution to the research, criticism and pedagogy of Latvian literature and drama.
Gunārs Bībers was born on December 9, 1931. Gunārs Bībers is a long-term and legendary lecturer loved and appreciated by students at the Faculty of Philology (now Humanities) of the University of Latvia and the Latvian Academy of Culture. He has educated not only several generations of Latvian philologists, writers, poets and literary scholars, but also Latvian actors, theater and film directors, playwrights, choreographers and cultural producers. Work at the Latvian Academy of Culture as the head of the Department of Cultural History and pedagogue from 1991 to 2011 is recognized as his happiest stage in the work of academic pedagogy, providing professional and emotional fulfillment in the environment of skilled teachers and enthusiastic students. He has created a special lecture course on the history of drama for the training of young playwrights at the Latvian Academy of Culture. He has written several books dedicated to Latvian drama, textbooks on the history and theory of Latvian literature and more than 80 articles and reviews dedicated to Latvian literature and drama. Gunārs Bībers is a Knight of the Order of the Three Stars (1995), a laureate of the Ministry of Culture’s annual award in culture (2008) and a lifelong scholarship holder of the State Cultural Capital Foundation.
The representative of the commission of experts, the poetess Daina Sirmā, noted: “The thought polluted with the golden pollen of the charismatic charm of his personality has flown, nestled in hundreds of generations of students. Who will count the digital head and measure the finely structured wings given to them by the professor and the inspirations sown in space for almost seventy years?
Gunārs Bībers’ contribution to Latvian literature is thorough as a block of granite in the foundations of the house and at the same time elusive as dew. ”
The LALIGABA expert commission consists of writer Nora Ikstena, poet, cooler and literary critic Raimonds Ķirķis, writer Sabīne Košeļeva, literary critic Inguna Daukste-Silasproģe, translator Inga Mežaraupe, poet and teacher Daina Sirmā and poet, publicist
The winners of the LALIGABA awards will be determined by a secret ballot of the expert commission and announced in the LALIGABA award presentation program, which will be shown on April 30 this year at 21.00 on LTV1 channel, it will be formed by “Satori” creative team and director Liene Linde. The winners will receive the LALIGABA lamp and cash prizes created by the design studio “Mājo”.
The motto of this year’s award “Joy and Sorrow” confirms the power of literature to survive even the most gloomy times, providing an opportunity to take refuge from what is happening around you, allowing you to travel in time and space, as well as find comfort and better understand the world. No matter what happens, the book will never disappoint – it will be together in joys, sorrows, health and illness, it will be able to take you through fire and water, – this is confirmed by the seal, the visual sign of this year’s award. The author of the visual identity of the award is the artist Mareks Hofmanis.
The prize is organized and jointly organized by the International House of Writers and Translators and the Latvian Writers’ Union.
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