'They are small, poor countries that pay for an entire translation with a grant they might get. 'Right now, the countries that have the best relationship with Latvian literature are Albania, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia,' she says. The fair will provide the unique opportunity for English-language readers to experience Latvian literature firsthand, which Sparāne-Freimane hopes will result in more translations.

The 20th Century series, and the bestseller High Tide (published in English by Open Letter) children's and middle-grade author Luīze Pastore and the poet Kārlis Vērdiņš. She is one of a quartet of writers representing the country joining her are Inga Ābele, author of Duna (Dune), also in the We. Ikstena will be Latvia's featured Author of the Day at the London Book Fair. The 20th Century series, has reached younger readers,' says Sparāne-Freimane, who credits the contemporary language in the books with making their sometimes difficult and distant subjects more accessible.

'The unique thing is that this novel, as well several others in the We. The book has sold 20,000 copies in Latvia, a significant number. It is very much my mother's story and my own,' says Ikstena, who also says she used many real-life people as characters, some without even changing their names. The relationship between the three women is fraught as they struggle within the Soviet system, which looms ominously in the background, shaping events. Petersburg, a Latvian gynecologist is dispatched to run a clinic in a rural area her daughter, named Ikstena, who was heretofore being raised by her grandmother, is sent to live with her mother. In the novel, after a controversy exiles her from St. The book focuses on the lives of three generations of women, shifting between the 1940s, around the time of Latvia's liberation from Nazi occupation by the Soviets, and the 1970s and 1980s. Andra Manfelde's Virsnieku sievas (the Officers' Wives), about the intersection of Latvian and Russian lives during the 1970s, sold 10,000 copies, says Sparāne-Freimane.īut the book that has resonated most with readers is Mātes piens (Soviet Milk) by Nora Ikstena. Several titles have already become bestsellers, including Pauls Bankovskis's 18, which is about the moment of Latvia's independence. 'This is a huge series, with 13 titles, the last of which is being published in April,' says Sparāne-Freimane.

Soviet milk by nora ikstena