Māris Salējs

Māris Salējs (born Marians Rižijs, 1971) is a Latvian poet, translator, critic and literary researcher. He translates from Polish, Ukrainian and Russian. From 1999 until 2005, Salējs worked as an editor at Luna literary journal. He has worked as a librarian at the University of Latvia and the Academy of Culture in Riga, as well as contributed to various literary platforms as an author and editor. He was first published in 1994, but his first collection of both original poems and translations from Polish Māmiņ es redzeju dziesmu/ Mommy I Saw a Song came out in 1999, with his second, award winning collection, Mana politika/My Politics following in 2001. Salējs holds a degree in art, and in 2011, he received his Ph.D. from the University of Latvia where he studied Philology.  A prolific critic and reviewer, Salējs is also the author of many research papers and lengthy analyses of several prominent Latvian poets such, as Uldis Bērziņš, Janis Rokpelnis, Hermanis Marģers Majevskis and Knuts Skujenieks. He frequently attends conferences and readings dedicated to literature, language and translation, and is an editor of books of other renowned Latvian poets.

Poetry
Tuvošanās [Approaching]. Riga: Zvaigzne ABC, 2018.
Kā pirms pērkona [Before Thunder]. Pētergailis, 2016.
Nedaudz vairāk [A Little Bit More]. Mansards, 2013; also published in Braille by Latvian Library for the Blind in 2014.
За нас / Par mums [About Us]. Bilingual collection of M.Salējs, K.Vērdiņš, M.Pujāts, P.Draguns in Latvian and Russian, translated by A.Zapols. Riga: Orbita, 2009.
Mana politika [My Politics]. Riga: Pētergailis, 2001.
Māmiņ, es redzēju dziesmu [Mommy, I Saw a Song]. Riga: Enigma, 1999.

Research
Uldis Bērziņš. Dzīve un laiktelpas poētika [Uldis Bērziņš. Life and Spacetime Poetics]. LU LFMI, 2011.
Versija par... Latviešu literatūra 2000 - 2006 [co-author]. Riga: Valters un Rapa, 2007.

Translations
Česlav Miloš. Rodzinna Europa [Native Realm]. Published in Latvian as Dzimtā Eiropa, Zvaigzne ABC, 2011.
Ivan Franko. Lyrics [co-author]. LUBA, 2006.
 

IntroVersIon - Lyrik aus Lettland: Māris Salējs // Signaturen Magazin, November 2022 [DE]

Audio conversation with Māris Salējs // Latvijas Sabiedriskie Mediji, 2019 [LV]

Interview with Māris Salējs // LA.lv, 2018 [LV]

About Before Thunder // Rīgas Laiks, 2016 [LV]

Poems by Māris Salējs, translated by the composer Eric Banks // Eric Banks, Peace and quiet project, 2013 [EN]

Poems by Māris Salējs // Online magazine Satori, 2004 [LV]

Māris Salējs, artist's profile // The Council of the Creative Unions of Latvia [LV]

Barbara Zeizingen.Latvian anthology "Mir war, als ob es klopfte" review // Signaturen Magazin, February 2024 [DE]

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

Michal Krawczyk. Literary listening "For a second in the sphere of the poem" by Māris Salējs // Przeglad Baltycki.June, 2023 [PL]

Agnieszka Smarzewska. Lights in the fog. Review of the anthology of Latvian poetry "All the birds that are in me..." translated by Olga Wiewióra // Przeglad Baltycki October, 2020 [PL]

Liene Bokmane, Tuvošanās tev, dabai, sev un mūžībai, review of Approaching // Ubi Sunt, University of Latvia, 2019 [LV]

Sandra Ratniece, "Saule met jau rudenīgas cilpas" dzejnieka dvēseles galaktikā, review of Approaching // LA.lv, 2019 [LV]

David Hart, review about the book Six Latvian Poets // Latvian Poetry Meets Romania, Poetry Workshop about Latvian Literature, 2011 [EN]

2013, shortlisted for the Annual Latvian Literature Award for A Little Bit More

2011, the Annual Latvian Literature Award for Special Achievement for Uldis Bērziņš. Life and Spacetime Poetics

2001, Anna Dagda Award for poetry My Politics