Writer Andris Kolbergs to receive lifetime achievement award

Ministry of Culture ,
05 April 2012, Latvia

On 26 April Latvian writer Andris Kolbergs will be honoured for his lifetime achievement at the 2011 Latvian Literature Award ceremony at Riga Art Space. The award will be also handed to the winners of the other four nominations.

The most translated Latvian writer Andris Kolbergs was born in Riga in 1938. In the 1970s and 80s, Kolbergs was one of the most popular Latvian detective novelists, and his works were published all over the U.S.S.R. and in several European countries.

During the Reawakening Period, Kolbergs was the first chairman of the renewed Riga Latvian Society, the president of the Latvian Detective Novel Association, and the editor-in-chief of the reinstated magazine Atpūta.

Recently, he has written various guidebooks to Riga. In 2010, Kolberg’s Diary was published, which combines both the objective realism and the subjective narrative of the author. The book is a testimony of an era; the testimony by an eyewitness, a person closely familiar with it.

Several films have been produced based on Kolbergs’s scripts and detective novels: Liekam būt (Being Unnecessary) (1976), Atspulgs ūdenī (Reflection in the Water) (1977), Dāvanas pa telefonu (Gifts over the Telephone) (1977), Rallijs (Rally) (1978), Trīs dienas pārdomām (Three Days for Contemplation) (1980), Dubultnieks (The Double) (1986), Fotogrāfija ar sievieti un mežakuili (Photograph of a Woman and a Boar) (1987), Par mīlestību pašreiz nerunāsim (Let’s Not Talk About Love Right Now) (1988), Depresija (Depression) (1991) and Rīgas sargi (Defenders of Riga) (2007).


The other 2011 Latvian Literature Award nominations include "Sparkling Debut", "Best Latvian Translation", "Best Prose" and "Best Poetry Collection".

Five authors will receive special prizes for their outstanding contribution to Latvian literature in 2011, namely, Atis Klimovičš for his book Personiskā Latvija (Personal Latvia), Uldis Bērziņš for his long-awaited translation of The Quran, Valentīns Lukaševičs for his Latgalian-dialect poetry collection Bolti Burti (White Letters), Māris Salējs for his analysis of Latvian poet Uldis Bērziņš' works in Uldis Bērziņš. Dzīve un laiktelpas poētika (Uldis Bērziņš. Life and Spacetime Poetics) and 12 Latvian authors' work MĒS. XX gadsimts. Stāsti (WE. XXth century. Stories).

Launched in 2001, the Latvian Literature Award has become an annual tradition of professional evaluation and honouring of the most remarkable literary works of a year.

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