Latvia’s top literary prize goes to translators of Yohansen and Slyvynsky

The translators of Ostap Slyvynsky’s collection “Winter King and Other Poems” into Latvian, Māra Poļakova, Māris Salējs, Jānis Elsbergs, Ingmāra Balode, and Arvis Viguls, received Latvia’s most prestigious literary award (LALIGABA) for best poetry translation. Poļakova was also recognized in the “Best Prose Translation into Latvian” category for her translation of Maik (Mykhailo) Yohansen or Mike Johansen’s novel “Dr. Leonardo’s Journey to Sloboda Switzerland with his Future Lover, the Beautiful Alcesta” / “Die Reise des gelehrten Doktor Leonardo und seiner zukünftigen Geliebten, der schönen Alceste, in die slobidische Schweiz.”

“Dr. Leonardo’s Journey” has been published in Latvia by Aminori Publishing. The book also features an essay by literary scholar Yaryna Tsymbal and illustrations by artist Halya Verheles.

“The prize recognized the translator’s nuanced, meticulous, and masterful work of the translator, which broadens the reading experience of Ukrainian literature and enriches the Latvian language,” reads the statement  to the award’s website.

Read the jury’s reviews of the translation here.

RELATED: Translators of ‘The Winter King’ poetry collection by Ostap Slyvynsky received the AAUS Award

Māra Poļakova

“The Winter King” is a poetry collection published in Ukraine by The Old Lion Publishing House in 20218. It was later translated into English for a series of contemporary Ukrainian poetry by the American publisher Lost Horse Press (translated by Mark Andriy Chernetsky and Oksana Shuvalova). It includes texts from the previous collections “Adam” and “Ball in the Dark,” as well as new poems from 2013-2018, grouped into a cycle of the same name.

In Latvia, the collection was published by Orbīta.

“The award recognized the skillful selection and performance of emotionally powerful poems, which resulted in a dramatically rich and poetically profound collection,” reads the descriptio to the LALIGABA website.

Read the jury’s reviews of the translation under the link.

“‘The Winter King’ allows readers to hear the author’s voice and, through an exceptionally skillfully crafted text, to relive the scenes and landscapes Slyvynsky set in an era marked by turbulence and overwhelming noise,” said Balode.

Slyvynsky explained that in these poems, the characters are central, each with their own story and voice expressing deep emotion.

Māra Poļakova, Māris Salējs, Jānis Elsbergs, Ingmāra Balode, Arvis Viguls

“There’s a piece of myself in every poem. But the character gives me the freedom to be versatile, to seek out different languages and different ways of speaking about the world,” said Slyvynsky.

Orbīta is a collective of poets, photographers, artists, and musicians, founded in 1999 by Alexander Zapol, Vladimir Leibgam, Artur Punte, Vladimir Svetlov, Sergej Timofejev, and Zhorzh Uallik. It manifested in several issues of the “Orbita” almanac and the publication of numerous bilingual poetry collections. This led to the launch of the “Orbītas bibliotēka” book series, overseen by its editor-in-chief Alexander Zapol.

Punte, one of the founders of Orbīta, took part in a solidarity rally for Ukraine outside the Russian Embassy in Riga on the third day following the full-scale invasion. In his speech, he said that back in 2014, Putin “stripped him of his nationality and language.”

Aminori is a Latvian publishing house and arts space established in 2017, known for producing high-quality literary and visual cultural publications. It issues fiction, poetry, translated literature, books for children and young adults, as well as books on visual arts, theater, cinema, and the history of Latvian culture.

In 2024, the publishing house joined the European Network of Cultural Centers (ENCC), expanding its activities in the fields of culture and international cooperation.

The Annual Latvian Literature Award (LALIGABA) is the most important literary award in Latvia. Each year the award is given to Latvian authors for the best prose and poetry books, the best children’s books, the best translations of foreign literature into Latvian, and the best debut in literature. Each year there is also an award for lifetime achievements.

Images: Chytomo collages, award website, Rūta Kurpniece, Ginta Zīverte, Gints Ivuskans, Mareks Hofmanis