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Theme: The non-Russian Russia: the decolonial literatures

Article

Notes on Facebook, September 2023

In September 2023, poet Galina Rymbu writes a post on social media. The text moves between Omsk and Lviv and is an attempt to make visible how identities are created and reformulated in relation to...

Galina Rymbu November 11 2024
Poetry

Dɔjdu / Animal Speech

Tatiyaas Filippova is a poet and photographer from Sakha Republic. In her work she gathers together different texts and photographs into a poetic set, the structure of which is built on rhythm. In her...

Tatiyaas Filippova October 23 2024
Article

Silence

Poetry and photography may at first glance seem like completely different forms of art. However, we often speak of poetry as something that conveys images. And poetry and photography have the...

Tatiyaas Filippova October 22 2024
Feature

Photography: Birds

Tatiyaas Filippova is a poet and photographer from Sakha Republic. In her work she gathers together different texts and photographs into a poetic set, the structure of which is built on rhythm. In her...

Tatiyaas Filippova October 22 2024
Article

People and Languages Reduced to Tourist Brochures

To regional officials and entrepreneurs, the relatively unknown linguistic and ethnic diversity within the Russian Federation is a great resource. Travel agencies use enticing terms like “northern...

Text: Stefan Ingvarsson Translation: Anna Hörnell October 17 2024
Poetry

Letters to my mum about the lost language

Irina Smagas text is a letter in the form of poetry which tells the story of missing a language you don’t know, and how alienation becomes home – the place where you spend most of your time.

Irina Smaga August 27 2024
Article

Language for dreams and farewells

I was visiting my relatives. My aunt gave me a farewell present of reindeer tongues, a wonderful gift, as they are very...

Neseine June 04 2024
Fiction

Reindeer caravan

In “Reindeer caravan” we get to follow a child with insight in the state of things: the aunt wants to operate her eyes round, children are taken away from their families for six whole years, the...

Ksenia Bolshakova June 04 2024
Article

Between

Where does being in the middle take place? Perhaps between novruz and christmas, different geographical places, between two languages where one of them brings literature but first after cutting up the...

Egana Jabbarova April 30 2024
Poetry

Meat

Meat ties this epic poem by the Tatar poet Elvina Valieva together. The bitter taste of colonialism exists side by side with the love in the broth, and the fact that your home always remains home...

Elvina Valieva April 10 2024
Article

Why people are annoyed when I write in my native tongue

The Tatar language is unintentionally left in the childhood kitchen for many years. We get to follow the language from childhood with əbika, to school and university where it’s ignored, and to Berlin...

Dinara Rasuleva April 10 2024

Theme: Trauma as an Exit to New Language

Editorial

Trauma as an Exit to New Language

Inga Gaile is the editor for this issue of PEN/Opp. She is a poet, author, and the president of PEN Latvia. The common theme in this issue is how trauma influences the arts and how trauma can be...

Text: Inga Gaile October 05 2023
Article

Editing Through the Looking Glass

Agra Lieģe Doležko is a publicist, journalist and an activist, who focuses on the topics of motherhood (both as an institution and her private experience), gender equality, sexual violence, and women...

Text: Agra Lieģe-Doležko November 29 2023
Article

What do trains and toilets have in common?

Baiba Baikovska is a Latvian stand-up comedian and writer. She works with people with disabilities through the organisation Agape Latvia and is a guest lecturer on disability issues.

Text: Baiba Baikovska November 16 2023
Article

Sarma and the Slut List

Inga Gaile is poet, author of seven poetry collections and fiction writer: five novels and one collection of short stories. She is president of PEN Latvia and organizer of women stand up group in Riga...

Text: Inga Gaile November 09 2023
Poetry

Poems by Ivars Šteinbergs

Ivars Šteinbergs is a poet, critic, and translator from Riga, Latvia. His second collection of poems Jaunība (Youth, 2022), published by Neputns, received the Annual Latvian Literature Award in 2023...

Ivars Šteinbergs November 02 2023
Fiction

Temple

Ilmārs Šlāpins is a philosopher, publicist, editor, world music DJ and writer. He has published ten books, including translations, non-fiction and poetry. Temple is an excerpt from an upcoming novel.

Text: Ilmārs Šlāpins October 19 2023
Article

A fight I might never win

Katrīna Rudzīte is a poet. She has published two poetry collections: Saulesizplūdums (Blur of the Sun) and Ērti pārnēsājami spārni (Comfortably Portable Wings, 2020). She writes essays and articles...

Text: Katrīna Rudzīte October 12 2023
Article

Succès de scandale

Santa Remere is a translator and publicist. She regularly writes literary and art critics for local magazines, mostly with a focus on cultures of young audiences and feminist topics. Occasionally, she...

Text: Santa Remere October 05 2023
Poetry

Three poems by Alesya Loseva

Aļesja Loseva is an author of Belarusian origin who was born in Latvia. The influence and temperament of the Latvian, Belarusian and Russian languages are intertwined in her poetic voice. In public...

Text: Aļesja Loseva October 05 2023

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