Researchers of ILFA continue research of Latvian archives in exile

Between August 15–23, 2021, researchers from the Literature department of the Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art of the University of Latvia, with support from the Baltic-German University Liaison Office, carried out the project "Latvian Archives in Exile: selection of the archive materials, digitization, and interviews in the Latvian Centre Münster and in the House Annaberg of Baltic Christian Federation".

The researchers continued the work done in 2020 in the Latvian Centre in Münster (LCM), and this year travelled also to House Annaberg of Baltic Christian Federation where they studied and digitalized archival material related to Latvian writers, social workers and the activities of organizations in Germany, as well as materials pertaining to cultural communication, Baltic intelligentsia – including Latvians and Germans from the Baltic, Latvian and Estonian – mutual connections and links to German society. The digitized materials will be added to the collection of documents and audio materials of Latvian writers and organizations in the online database of Latvia’s literature www.literatura.lv.

In addition to working within the archives, the researchers conducted interviews and in seminars introduced the local audience with the results of the research and the contents of the digitized collections, emphasizing the investment of German and Latvian individuals in the making of the archives.

The researchers participated in two events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the writer, librarian, and archivist Austra Rudzīte (1911–1991), which took place both in the Latvian Centre in Münster and the House Annaberg of Baltic Christian Federation in honor of her work in the Münster Latvian Gymnasium (MLG) and the Baltic Christian Federation – A. Rudzīte is responsible for creating the Gymnasium library, the most comprehensive library of Latvian literature outside of Latvia, which includes collections of periodicals and manuscripts. She also created memorial rooms dedicated to Jānis Jaunsudrabiņš, Zenta Mauriņa, Konstantīns Raudive, Pēteris Ērmanis and others. Her work with creating the MLG and LCM archives is invaluable.

In the events in Münster and Annaberg ILFA leading researcher and director Eva Eglāja-Kristsone and leading researcher Inguna Daukste-Silasproģe gave presentations on A. Rudzīte’s life and diaries, which tell of how the archivist researched the biography of Jānis Jaunsudrabiņš and worked with maintaining his memory; ILFA research assistant Ivars Šteinbergs talked about the newly-found notebooks containing A. Rudzīte’s own poetry in handwriting.

A. Rudzīte's contemporaries and students, including deaconess Lilija Tenhāgena, former LCM administrator Zuze Krēsliņa-Sila and LCM keeper Viktors Kangeris shared their memories about A. Rudzīte, the event was hosted by Dina Krastiņa, Library and Archive Coordinator at LCM, who had also prepared an exhibition dedicated to A. Rudzīte. The secretary general of the Baltic Christian Federation and sociologist Andrejs Urdze spoke at the Baltic Christian Federation, as well as deaconess Laima Vija Urdze and linguist Aina Mārīte Urdze; A. Urdze’s personal archive contains unpublished manuscripts of A. Rudzīte’s poetry and prose, diaries and correspondence with the alumni of MLG.

The project involved ILFA researchers Eva Eglāja-Kristsone, Māra Grudule, Inguna Daukste-Silasproģe, Ieva Kalniņa, Zita Kārkla, Jānis Oga, and Ivars Šteinbergs.

The research team is grateful to the Baltic-German University Liaison Office for support; to the LCM and Dina Krastiņa for their co-operation; to the Latvian Community in Germany, Nīl Ebden and Arnis Drille, House Annaberg of Baltic Christian Federation, and Andrejs Urdze.

The project of the Baltic-German University Liaison Office is financially supported by German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) with the resources allotted by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The project involved researchers from the of the Latvian Council of Science Fundamental and applied research project "Women Agency in Latvian Culture and Society (1870-1940)" (nr. lzp-2020/1-0215) and post-doctoral projects "Latvian Prose Writers under the Soviet Occupation: Collaboration and Non-Violent Resistance (1968–1991)" (Nr.1.1.1.2/VIAA/3/19/482) and "Embodied Geographies: History of Latvian Women’s Writing" (Nr. 1.1.1.2./VIAA/3/19/430).

Photo from the right: ILFA researcher Inguna Daukste-Silasproģe, Library and Archive Coordinator Dina Krastiņa, ILFA researchers Ieva Kalniņa, Zita Kārkla, Ivars Šteinbergs, Māra Grudule, Eva Eglāja-Kristsone, Jānis Oga.

Last time modified: 06.09.2021 13:38:15