Leons Briedis


Leons Briedis was a Latvian poet, a novelist, an essayist, a literary critic and publisher, translator of prose and poetry from Latin, Russian, English, Romance languages, Swahili, Albanian and other languages. He was also an author of several musicals produced on the radio and staged at the biggest theatres in Latvia, script writer wrote much for children, author of song texts, translated 10 plays staged at Latvian theatres and rendered in verse opera librettos.

Early life

After graduating the Sigulda Secondary School in 1968 he entered the Latvian State University, Day Department of the Latvian Language and Literature Faculty from which he was expelled in 1970 because of anti-Soviet activity without any right to acquire higher education within the territory of the former Soviet Union. Despite this, in 1972 Leons Briedis entered the Day Department of Spanish Language and Literature at the University of Chişinău in the Moldavian Republic which in 1974 he was forced to leave due to his links with Moldavian and Romanian democratically-minded intelligentsia. From 1977 to 1979 he studied at the Higher Literary Courses of Maxim Gorky Literature Institute in Moscow the theory of translation and Africanistics. L. Briedis for a long time has experienced the pressure of the Central Committee of the Latvian Communist Party and the VDK of Latvian SSR which was manifested as prohibition to publish his works for a certain period, to travel abroad or to take up an employment of ideological character.

Family

Leons Briedis was married to Maria Briede-Macovei, whom he met in Chişinău, Moldova. They had two sons.

Later life

Leons Briedis published about 34 books of his own as well as 49 books of translations. His poetry books are published in Russian, Romanian and Ukrainian languages, but in general his poetry is translated in practically all languages of Europe and nations of the former Soviet Union as well as many Asian languages.
From 1974 Briedis was a member of the Latvian Writers' Union, and from 1987 he was a member of the international organisation of writers — PEN Club. From 1993 to 1997 he was Vice-President of the Latvian PEN Club.
He worked in most diverse culture editions and was Head of poetry section of the newspaper "Literatūra un Māksla", Editor-in-Chief of the cultural journal "Jaunās Grāmatas", culturological magazine "Grāmata" and Editor-in- Chief of "Vārds", magazine of the Latvian Writers' Union.
In 1992 he founded a private culturological magazine "Kentaurs XXI" and was its Editor-in-Chief till May, 2010. The magazine Kentaurs during its existence had not only secured a place and role of its own among other Latvian culture editions, but also acquired international acknowledgment. Several times it had represented Latvia at various international forums.

Up to now 51 issues of the magazine "Kentaurs XXI" published by L. Briedis had appeared.

Since 1993 he was also the Director of a private Publishing House Minerva, which up to now published 67 humanities-related books of wide profile.

Awards and honors

The poets of Moldova ;
Z. Stancu "I Loved You So. Kostandina." ; P. Salcudeanu "The Death Of A Fashion – model" ; S. Vangeli ; Romanian folk -songs for children "ABC muzical" ; Christmas songs; the epitaphs of the cemetery of Sapinta ; Romanian fairy – tales ; Mircea Eliade "At The Gypses"; A. E. Baconsky "Black Abbey" ; Anna Blandiana ; the prose of the writers of Moldova:
M. Sorescu "Lap"; D. Solomon "Water"; J.Druta ;
H. Vald ; T.Vianu ;