Displaced Literature:
Displaced Literature
Images of time and space in Latvian novels.
Depicting the first years of the Latvian postwar exile.
by
Juris Rozitis, University of Stockholm. 2005
A layman’s review:
by
Janis Abens
Permalink: http://www.elja.org/janis/archives/44
It is no longer common to meet Latvians (outside the academic sphere) with more than a superficial knowledge of Latvian postwar exile literature. I guess that means things are back to normal. Not too many years ago, when exile still meant exile, this was not the case.
No longer will it need be the case, either, because anyone who follows this link an get the whole story in one place.
In this fascinating thesis, the author combines a virtually complete and caregorized compilation of all fiction published by post- WW2 refugee/exiled Latvian authors with a historical discussion upon which he applies various models. From the DP camps of Germany, the struggle to retain dignity, intellectual heritage and culture in the face of constant adversity , to the inevitable dispersion to all corners of the world; it is all here, telling a greater tale of the mechanisms of evolution of exile/ refugee culture
Extensive examples and annotation provide for exhaustive, (and exhausting for the lay reader) discourse.
The author also explores a heuristic approach, boldly crossing boundaries into topics such as philosophy and metaphysics.
Discussions relating to perception of time and space, of how physical realities mold the author, the story, the metaphors, and the story behind getting the story to the reader, all provide for insightful reading,. Those questions left unasked will soon be adressed by the next generation of students undoubtedly inspired by this information and analysis at their fingertips.
If you like to ponder the quirks of fate, the meaning of life, how events and fates mold cultures, then this is good stuff.
Or maybe just check out which books you might want to read. Either way, this is the source.