New Study by Dace Bula: “Literārās dabkultūras: Regīnas Ezeras zooproza ekokritiskā lasījumā”

Published by the UL Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art, this is the first full-length monograph in Latvia devoted to ecocriticism. The study explores how Regīna Ezera (1930–2002), in her short prose, constructs “literary naturecultures” — textual worlds in which nature is not merely a passive background, but actively entangled with human existence in reciprocal interaction.

Focusing on the writer's self-defined genre of “zoological short stories,” the study highlights works where animals — whether wild, domestic, or exotic — are not only intertwined with human experiences but often serve as protagonists or narrators. These stories appear in collections such as Cilvēkam vajag suni (1975), Slazds (1979), and Princeses fenomens. Ezera’s published diaries, which reveal her personal encounters with the animal world, are also considered part of her zooprose.

“Ezera’s zooprose is a contemporary and significant part of her literary legacy — notable for the depth and multiplicity with which she engages in a critical dialogue with anthropocentric worldviews,” the author writes. “Her short fiction challenges the myth of human superiority and critiques the absolute privileges often claimed by humans in interspecies relations. Ezera presents human-like and non-human beings as equal participants in a multispecies reality, contesting the culturally rooted divide between human and animal while recognizing and respecting difference.”

Dace Bula is a cultural researcher with a PhD in philology and a leading researcher at the UL Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art. She is the author and editor of several monographs on folklore theory and history, including Dziedātājtauta: Folklora un nacionālā ideoloģija (2000), Mūsdienu folkloristika: Paradigmas maiņa (2011), and Latviešu folkloristika starpkaru periodā (2014). Her recent work focuses on environmental humanities (Dzīve līdzās ostai, 2022) and ecocriticism.

The monograph was prepared as part of the project “Narrative, Form and Voice: The Rootedness of Literature in Culture and Society” (No. VPP–LETONIKA–2022/3–0003).

• Author: Dace Bula

• Editor: Inta Rozenvalde

• English Editor: Ieva Lešinska

• Design: Klāvs Priedītis

• Publisher: UL Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art

• Printing: Jelgava Printing House

• Supported by: State Culture Capital Foundation

• Price: EUR 10.00

The book is available at the Institute (Mūkusalas iela 3), via email at: apgads@lulfmi.lv, and at major Latvian book retailers.