Baltic Belles

This anthology spans more than a century, from the end of the 19th-century to the present day. It is a period marked by change, war, occupying regimes, and renewed freedom. Much of the early work written by Latvian women writers such as Anna Rumane-Kenina, Angelika Gailite, Anna Brigadere, Alija Baumane, and Mirdza Bendrupe is realist in nature, depicting an upheaval of mores and relationships forged not through tradition, but the pangs of love and passion.The Soviet era brought strict censorship to all forms of the arts, including literature.Despite this, authors like Regina Ezera were able to push their craft deeper into the psychological analysis of their characters. On the other side of the Iron Curtain, US-based Latvian exile writer Ilze Skipsna forged ahead with her own version of the psychological short story. The work of authors such as Andra Neiburga, Gundega Repse and Nora Ikstena in the late 80s and early 90s heralded a new era of female writers in a country yearning for its freedom which it finally achieved. Authors who appeared after the millennium like Inga Abele, and Inga Zolude, who have shaped and continue to shape contemporary Latvian literature, round out this collection. Contents 1.Old Karline by Anna Brigadere (1897), translated by Laura Adlers, 2. Mother's Sorrow by Anna Rumane-Kenina (1912), translated by Mara Rozitis, 3. Honeymoon Trip by Angelika Gailite(1925), translated by Ieva Lesinska, 4. Process by Alija Baumane (1927), translated by Ieva Lesinska, 5. Helena by by Mirdze Bendrupe (1942), translated by Laura Adlers,6. Foreigners by Ilze Skipsna (1964) originally written in English,7. The Hoopoes'Dance by Regina Ezera(1977), translated by Zanete Vevere Pasquilini, 8. Maija by Gundega Repse (1987), translated by Zanete Vevere Pasquilini, 9. A Day in Her Life by Nora Ikstena (1996),translated by Mara Rozitis, 10. Nettle by Inga Abele (1998), translated by Laura Adlers, 11.Push Push by Andra Neiburga (2004), translated by Ieva Lesinska 12.Lichens by Inga Zolude(2015), translated by Zan McQuade.

Eva Eglaja-Kristsone, has a Ph.D, in Baltic Philology from the University of Latvia (2007) and is now the director of the Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art at the University of Latvia. She is the author of several books, and with Becca Parkinson edited The Book of Riga in 2018.