The UL ILFA Publishing House publishes the book “Mangaļsala – stāstos, bildēs, radurakstos”

The Publishing House of the Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art of the University of Latvia has released a book by researcher Dace Bula and Ģirts Strazdiņš, a resident of Mangaļsala and researcher of local family histories, about Mangaļsala—Riga’s northernmost neighborhood and a former fishing village.

The book brings together residents’ life stories, the history of local families, and photographs depicting Mangaļsala, its inhabitants, and their way of life.

“As one might say, this book has many authors,” notes the introduction. “First and foremost, these are the residents of Mangaļsala who entrusted their lived experiences through storytelling. They are the researchers who interviewed them; the photographers who captured moments from life in the neighborhood; and the people whose hands created archival records.” All of this has been given a readable form by two people—Dace Bula and Ģirts Strazdiņš. Accordingly, the book is divided into two parts. The first part presents residents’ narratives, revealing what is characteristic of Mangaļsala from their own perspective—its environment, way of life, and interpersonal relations. These narratives were documented in field research conducted by the Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art since the 1990s and are preserved in the institute’s digital archive. The second part is devoted to the history of Mangaļsala’s families, researched through archival materials and various other sources. The book’s creation has been lengthy, polyphonic, and also quite personal; therefore, both parts begin with a brief account of the authors’ research experience.

The book’s photo essays feature works by two photographers. The first is Viktors Bruno Krastiņš (1918–1984), a native of Mangaļsala, whose historical photographs from the 1950s and 1960s were made available for publication by his daughter Daina Vītola and grandson Ivars Krastiņš, who also shared memories of the photographer as a father and grandfather. The second photographer is Jānis Buls, who photographed Mangaļsala in the 1990s and again in recent years during the preparation of this book.

“This book is about Mangaļsala—an island, a former fishing village, and a neighborhood with a community once united not only by place of residence but also by kinship ties and a shared occupation. It is a place that still possesses a strong power of attraction today, despite its distance from the city center, the challenges of living alongside a powerful neighbor—the Port of Riga—and the shortcomings of infrastructure and local services. Proximity to water and unspoiled nature, and the advantage offered by the outskirts of living both in the city and in the countryside at the same time—these are compelling reasons for attachment to the place. Mangaļsala also draws visitors from elsewhere: it is home to the Seaside Nature Park, a beach, and the Daugava estuary mole, where many come to walk, watch sunsets and ships heading out to sea, and to fish. Yet the greatest value of Mangaļsala lies in the close, intimate relationships between people and place, passed down through generations and families and rooted in lived experience,” writes Dace Bula.

The book was prepared within the project “Life Next to the Port: Econarratives, Local History, and Activism in the Lower Daugava” (No. Izp-2018/1-0446).