Artis Ostups

Artis Ostups (1988) is a Latvian poet, he has studied philosophy at the University of Latvia, and attended the Charles University in Prague, he is currently editor in chief of the online magazine Punctum, as well as an author of essays on literature and philosophy. His poems have been published in some of the major literary periodicals and magazines in Latvia, such as Karogs, Kultūras Forums, Latvju Teksti, and the Satori.lv web-magazine. Like for all young poets, translation of highly meritorious literary works has been part of Ostups' creative journey – he participated in the translation of Walt Whitman's selected works in 2011, and alongside Arvis Viguls worked on the translation of the collection of Dmitry Sumarokov's poetry Café Europe, nominated for the Annual Literary Award in 2014. His début collection Comrade Snow/ Biedrs Sniegs (2010) was praised instantly by many readers, and nominated for the Latvian Literary Award as the best début, and received the special Ojārs Vācietis award. His second collection Photograph and Scissors/ Fotogrāfija un šķēres (2013) has been widely reviewed by literary critics and attentive readers. His writing is characterised as clear and precise, genius and professional, powerful and distilled, without redundant and abundant colours – in stead he uses words to create sharp black&white pictures that connect history and present, imagination and awareness of actual and tangible experience. His poetry is unobtrusive and highly sensitive, framing exquisitely meaningful moments as photographies, pregnant with underlying contexts. Elements of prose-poetry are often met in his writing. Poems by Artis Ostups have been published in English in the Literature Across Frontiers platform, translated into German, Russian, French, Czech, Slovenian, Croatian, and Lithuanian, and his talent has been recognised in the international literary circles. In 2016, his third collection of poems, Gestures, was published.

Patiesība [Truth]. Riga: Neputns, 2025.

Žesti [Gestures]. Riga: Neputns, 2016.

Fotogrāfija un šķēres [Photography and Scissors]. Riga: Mansards, 2013.

Biedrs Sniegs [Comrade Snow]. Riga: Mansards, 2010.

Best translated poetry 2023 (vote) // 15min, November, 2023 [LT]

Lauris Veips. Saying what you mean: trends in recent Latvian poetry // Versopolis, March 2023 [EN]

In Estonian and Latvian poems, jokes are made about the neighbors // Viro-instituutti.fi, March 2023 [FI]

Don't look the Latvian in the eye. Ball of introverts. Anthology of new Latvian poetry // Sirp, January, 2023 [EE]

IntroVersIon poetry from Latvia // signaturen-magazin.de, March 2022 [GER]

Artis Ostups, Šī sala pilna trokšņu, essay on truth, power, and literature // Online magazine Punctum, 2015 [LV

Artis Ostups, poetry // Guernica magazine of art & politics, 2012 [EN]

Gerald Jatzek. Latvian anthology "Mir war, als ob es klopfte" review // Litges, February 2024 [GER]

Latvian anthology "Mir war, als ob es klopfte" review // Baltbuch blogspot, October 2023 [GER]

Sabine Walther. Recommended book: Young poetry from Latvia // sabinewalther-bücher.de, October 2022 [GER]

Kristina Marie Darling, Denied Pasts and Invented Tethers, review of Gestures // Tupelo Quarterly, 2019 [EN]

Anna Auziņa, Un atkal modernisms, review of Gestures // Online magazine Punctum, 2016 [LV]

Arvis Viguls, Trešā persona, review of Photography and Scissors // Diena.lv, 2013 [LV]

Katrīna Rudzīte, Klusās fotogrāfijas, review of Photography and Scissors // Online magazine Satori, 2013 [LV] 

2014, Latvju Teksti Poem Contest Prize for the poem Trīs fotogrāfijas/ Three Photographies

2014, shortlisted for Latvian Literature Award as the Best Book of Poetry for Photography and Scissors

2011, Ojārs Vācietis Award special prize for Comrade Snow
2010, shortlisted for the Annual Latvian Literature Award as the Best Debut for Comrade Snow