Selected Poems
Published on 18. October 2019
Book
Paperback/Softback
122 pages
978-1-84861-674-5 (ISBN)
Description
Caks (1901-50) is Latvia's leading mid-20th-century poet, an early adopter of modern literary tendencies from wider Europe, and one of the first really urban poets in the Latvian language - until his eruption onto the scene, Latvian poetry had been grounded in rural life, reflecting the preponderance of Latvian speakers in the countryside, compared to the large German- (and later Russian- ) speaking population in the cities. His first book appeared in 1928, and he threw himself into the Riga literary scene by creating a magazine devoted to younger writers. He made a living by teaching and through magazine journalism. This is the first book devoted to his work in Britain.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Exeter
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 8 mm
Weight
189 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84861-674-5 (9781848616745)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Aleksandrs Caks (1901-1950), born Aleksandrs Cadarainis, was a Latvian poet and writer. Caks is arguably the first Latvian writer whose works are distinctly urban, compared to the usual depictions of country life or small villages in earlier Latvian literature.
With the outbreak of the First World War his high school was evacuated first to Estonia, and then to Saransk, Russia. In 1918 Caks began to study medicine in Moscow, and attended literary evenings with the Futurists and other avant-garde groups. In 1920 he was drafted into the Red Army, serving as a medical orderly.
In 1922 Caks returned to his homeland, and resumed his studies, but soon lost interest and resigned his university place. In 1925 he obtained a teacher's certificate and became a primary-school teacher and administrator. In 1928 Caks established a magazine for young Latvian writers, and was fully involved in Riga's literary scene. He later worked as a bank clerk, gave lectures on literature, and also worked as a technical editor in the Association of Latvian Riflemen, where he helped to publish a collection of their documents and memoirs. Inspired by these writings, he wrote an important collection of poems, Touched by Eternity, for which he was awarded a major prize. Following the Russian occupation in 1940, Caks was criticised for supposed anti-Soviet sentiments in several poems from this volume, but was otherwise unaffected. During the subsequent Nazi occupation Caks was not allowed to publish and kept his head down. Following the second Soviet occupation in 1944, Caks began working for a communist newspaper, where he was put in charge of the culture section. However, things went downhill for him thereafter, with a political campaign causing his dismissal. In 1949, with Latvia now absorbed into the USSR, Caks was once again accused of straying from Marxist values and writing politically incorrect works. The accusations weakened his health, and he died of heart disease on February 8, 1950. One of the central streets in Riga, which now houses a Caks memorial museum, is named after him.
With the outbreak of the First World War his high school was evacuated first to Estonia, and then to Saransk, Russia. In 1918 Caks began to study medicine in Moscow, and attended literary evenings with the Futurists and other avant-garde groups. In 1920 he was drafted into the Red Army, serving as a medical orderly.
In 1922 Caks returned to his homeland, and resumed his studies, but soon lost interest and resigned his university place. In 1925 he obtained a teacher's certificate and became a primary-school teacher and administrator. In 1928 Caks established a magazine for young Latvian writers, and was fully involved in Riga's literary scene. He later worked as a bank clerk, gave lectures on literature, and also worked as a technical editor in the Association of Latvian Riflemen, where he helped to publish a collection of their documents and memoirs. Inspired by these writings, he wrote an important collection of poems, Touched by Eternity, for which he was awarded a major prize. Following the Russian occupation in 1940, Caks was criticised for supposed anti-Soviet sentiments in several poems from this volume, but was otherwise unaffected. During the subsequent Nazi occupation Caks was not allowed to publish and kept his head down. Following the second Soviet occupation in 1944, Caks began working for a communist newspaper, where he was put in charge of the culture section. However, things went downhill for him thereafter, with a political campaign causing his dismissal. In 1949, with Latvia now absorbed into the USSR, Caks was once again accused of straying from Marxist values and writing politically incorrect works. The accusations weakened his health, and he died of heart disease on February 8, 1950. One of the central streets in Riga, which now houses a Caks memorial museum, is named after him.