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Gunars Saliņš | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1924-04-21)21 April 1924 Dobele, Latvia |
| Died | 29 June 2010(2010-06-29) (aged 86) |
| Alma mater | Upsala College |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Spouse | Jautrīte Saliņa |
Gunars Saliņš (21 April 1924 – 29 June 2010) was amodernist poet within theLatvianlyric poetry tradition. He became a leading voice of the "Hell's Kitchen artists" (Elles ķēķis)—a Latvian emigre artist community in the U.S. which flourished in the 1950s and 60s, named after the neighborhood inNew York where it originated.[1] In his youth, he was inspired by the Latvian poetAleksandrs Čaks and later by writers such asRainer Maria Rilke,Guillaume Apollinaire,Federico García Lorca, andDylan Thomas. Saliņš' imagery playfully explored transformational and metaphysical elements in this world and beyond, often incorporating his personal experiences with allusions to myth, art, and ancient Latvian folklore—a process he referred to as "orpheism". Gunars Saliņš's poetry was widely circulated within theLatvian diaspora post-WWII; later, his work was rediscovered and championed in Latvia in the post-Soviet era. In 2000, Saliņš was awarded theOrder of the Three Stars[2] by the Republic of Latvia.
Gunars Saliņš was born on April 21, 1924, inDobele, Latvia, where his father was the principal of the local school. Gunars followed his father's footsteps, graduating from the Teachers' Training Institute inJelgava, Latvia in 1944. Soon after, the Soviet regimere-occupied the country, and he, together with his wife, Jautrite, set forth to start a new life elsewhere. After spending five years in adisplaced persons' camp inAugsburg, Germany, they were granted permission to emigrate to the United States, eventually settling in New Jersey. They both completed their university studies in the US. Gunars became a professor of psychology and sociology, and taught atUnion College from 1955 to 1996, having earned his B.A. atUpsala College, New Jersey, and his M.A. at theNew School for Social Research, New York. Jautrite Saliņš earned her doctorate inGerman Literature atRutgers University, and went on to teach German language and literature until her retirement fromKean College, New Jersey. She later completed a 3-volume family memoir and assisted with the publication of Gunars' collected poems. They have three children: Laris, Laila and Lalita; and four grandchildren: Andrejs, Niklavs, Alida and Aldis. Gunars (known by his family and friends asGonka) died in his home on June 29, 2010.[2]
Gunars Saliņš was awarded multiple awards for his poetry. Thrice he won the cultural award of the World Federation of Free Latvians (PBLA), in 1968, in 1980 and in 2008. In 1982 he received theZinaida Lazda award for his poetry collectionRendez-vous (Satikšanās). In 2000 he was awarded theOrder of the Three Stars by the Latvian government, and in 2006 he was awarded the "Yearly Literature Award" from the Writers' Association of Latvia, honoring his lifetime achievement in poetry.:[2] "Writings - Poetry"
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