guests

He is a Latvian writer best known for his vigorous and elaborate novels. His works encompass a wide array of subjects such as history, language, philosophy, aesthethics, music, mysticism, collective memory and modern-day mythmaking. These are typically exposed in an individual voice with a touch of absurdist humor. The novel Hokhma (2019) has been shortlisted for European Literature Award. For the novel Disagio (2021) he won the Annual Latvian Literature Award. Both are set in the fictional resort town of Hokhma and present a deeply personal reflection upon the intricacies and absurdities of life in a typical post-communist realm. His largest novel so far, Beauty and Unrest (2023), is part-historical account of the first Russian revolution, part-hedonistic romp through fin de siècle society in his native region. It is currently being adapted into a feature film. Svens Kuzmins was born in 1985 in Rēzekne, Latvia, to a family of artists. He has studied in Manchester Metropolitain University and Art Academy of Latvia where he got a master’s degree in Fine arts. Occasionally hosts literary talk shows on Latvian Radio 1; writes for stage and screen.

pic. Dirk Skiba