Lauris Gundars

Lauris Gundars is a Latvian playwright, scriptwriter, and director (born in 1958). Gundars has studied Law at the University of Latvia (1980. - 1985), Theatre Directing (Saint-Petersburg, 1983. - 1988) and Scriptwriting (Moscow 1987. - 1989). Gundars is the director of 24 theatre stagings, author of 32 plays and adaptations, 14 full-length feature scripts, 2 TV series, two novels. He is also the author of Dramatica or Rational Poetics, a book on mastering tools for drama, which showcases his deep knowledge of dramatic history and theory and his wide-ranging experience in the field. He is also head of the Lauris Gundars’ Writing Workshop, tutor at numerous European international writing workshops. Lauris Gundars teaches drama and communication at Latvian Academy of Arts, RISEBA University, and Riga Stradiņš University. He is the creator of MA playwriting program at the Liepāja University, and host at the  "THEATRE ATTIC" radio show. He is a member of Latvia's Theatre Labour Association (since 2001) and the Latvian Writers' Union (since 1995).

Novels
Apglabāt uz valsts rēķina [Burial At State Expense]. Riga: Dienas Grāmata, 2019.
Pēdas stikla kalnā [Footprint In The Glass Hill]. Riga: Karogs, 1994.

Children's literature
Nē!!! [No!!!]. Riga: Pētergailis, 2024.
Valis ir atpakaļ [Whale is Back]. Riga: Liels un mazs, 2020.
Vaļa balss [Whale's Vote]. Riga: Liels un mazs, 2018. 
Sveiks, Vali! [Hello Whale!]. Riga: Liels un mazs, 2017.
Ķipars Pipras [Little Pepper]. Riga: ALI S, 2007.

Miscellaneous
Svešam kļūt jeb stāsts par Gunāru A. [Becoming a Stranger or a Story about Gunārs A.] Riga: Dienas Grāmata, 2021.
Dramatika jeb racionālā poētika [Dramatica or Rational Poetics]. Riga: Darbnīcas, 2009.

In other languages
Dramatica or Rational Poetics. Riga: Darbnīcas, 2016.

Jevhenija Zavalij. Mika Book: Russia always kills // Tyzhden, February 2024 [UA]

Dealing with the Soviet occupation (in print) // Kulturaustausch, October 2022 [GER]

About Becoming a Stranger or a Story about Gunārs A. // Online magazine Satori, 2021.

About Whale is Back // Online magazine Satori, 2020 [LV]

Lauris Gundars // Lauris Gundars website [EN; LV]

Audio conversation with Lauris Gundars // Latvijas Sabiedriskie Mediji, 2019 [LV]

About Burried on Government's Account // Online magazine Satori, 2019 [LV]

About Whale's Vote // Latvijas Sabiedriskie Mediji, 2018 [LV]

About Whale's Vote // Online magazine Fold, 2018 [EN]

Привет, кит! mentioned in top list of the children's books // Online magazine Kommersant.ru, 2018 [RU]

About Hello, Whale! // Online magazine Fold, 2017 [EN]

The European fictions that marked the month of May 2022, Lauris Gundars, Svešam kļūt jeb Stāsts par Gunāru A. ( Becoming a Stranger or the Story of Gunāru A.) // Le Grand Continent, June 2022 [ESP]

Bārbala Simsone, Labrīt, Latvija!, review of Burial At State Expense // Diena.lv, 2019 [LV]

Jolanta Pētersone, Sveika! Sveiks! Sveiki!, review of Hello Whale! // Online magazine Satori, 2017 [LV]