Seminar “Why Were Folklore Publications Created in Exile?”

The seminar “Why Were Folklore Publications Created in Exile?” will take place on 29 January at 6:00 p.m. at the museum “Latvians in the World” (84 Dzirnavu Street, Riga). This will be the third seminar in the series “Latvian Folkloristics in Exile.” The evening will open with a lecture by Dr. philol. Viesturs Zanders, a researcher of the history of Latvian book publishing, followed by informal discussions in a convivial atmosphere.

Similarly to the period before the establishment of the Latvian state, after the Second World War Latvian folklore texts, essays devoted to folklore, and scholarly studies were also published outside Latvia. As in earlier periods of Latvian book history, private initiative dominated this field in exile as well. The lecture will introduce the circle of authors (compilers) and publishers of folklore publications, the motivations behind the creation of specific editions, and their potential target audiences of buyers and readers. Particular attention will be paid to the Latvian folk song edition published in 12 volumes by the publishing house “Imanta” in Copenhagen (1952–1956), created with the involvement of several outstanding Latvian scholars in the humanities.

We will assess the proportion of reprints and newly prepared publications within the range of folklore editions in exile and examine whether there were links between folklore publications issued in Latvia and those published abroad.

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The event is organized by the Latvian Folklore Researchers Group of the Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art, University of Latvia, within the project funded by the Latvian Council of Science, Project No. lzp-2024/1-0522 “Latvian Folkloristics in Exile,” in cooperation with the museum “Latvians in the World.”