In Zeiten des Übergangs – Aktuelle lettische Literatur

In the organizer's words:

Two award-winning novels, two extraordinary perspectives on Latvia in transition

Latvian authors Svens Kuzmins and Andris Kalnozols present their new novels - both winners of the Latvian National Prize for Literature and now published in German for the first time by edition.fotoTAPETA.

‍"Riga Freedom" by Svens Kuzmins (translated from Latvian by Lil Reif)

What if a house could tell a story? In his acclaimed novel "Riga Freedom", Kuzmins makes exactly that happen: An old Riga townhouse becomes a chronicler of the turn of the century, a time of social upheaval. Once glamorous, now run-down, it is home to a community of tenants on the margins of society - people who live as if nothing has changed. But then the grandson of the former owner, a young art student, moves in. With him comes a new generation of artists and writers searching for truth and beauty on the eve of a new era. An atmospheric novel about transience, renewal and the question of what remains.

Winner of the Latvian National Prize for Literature 2025

‍"Calendar" by Andris Kalnozols (translated from Latvian by Sven Otto)

Oskar is different. His thoughts follow a childlike, naive logic, but his memory is extraordinary: he knows all the name days by heart - hence his nickname "Calendar". At the priest's suggestion, Oskar begins to keep a diary. The result is a warm-hearted portrait of an outsider whose special view of the world gives him direct access to children, the elderly and other marginalized people. Over the course of a calendar year, the seemingly autistic Oskar develops into the center of a bizarre circle of friends - an amusing, moving and surprising story about the power of otherness.

Winner of the Latvian National Prize for Literature 2021

Two novels that show: It is precisely the unusual perspectives that reveal the essence of a society in transition.

Moderation: Andreas Rostek
An event organized by LATVIAN LITERATURE and edition.fotoTAPETA Berlin

Svens Kuzmins: Born 1985 in Rēzekne, Latvian writer, artist and actor. Writes prose, criticism and journalistic articles, but also experiments with forms of visual art. One of the initiators and authors of the sketch theater project NERTEN. His first novel Hohma / Hokhmah was nominated for the 2021 European Union Prize for Literature (EUPL). Kuzmins' works have been translated into English, Russian, Lithuanian, Estonian and Spanish.

Andris Kalnozols: Born in 1983, Latvian playwright and author. His plays have been staged at the Latvian National Theater, Dirty Deal Teatro and Ģertrūdes ielas teātris. Kalnozols has been involved in creative writing since 1999 and has published in various magazines. His debut novel "Kalendārs mani sauc" was published in Latvian at the end of 2020.

Andreas Rostek, born in 1955, is a journalist, translator and publisher of edition.fotoTAPETA. Studied political science in Berlin and Bologna. He was one of the co-founders of the daily newspaper taz and worked for many years as an editor, foreign correspondent, editorial director and television editor. He lived for several years in Rome and Lugano as well as in Berlin and Washington, is married and lives in Berlin again.