Ojārs Vācietis

Ojārs Vācietis (1933 – 1983) is a celebrated translator and poet with one of the largest footprints in Latvian contemporary literature. After having finished a local high school, in 1952, Vācietis went on to study philology at the University of Latvia (1952-1957). Since 1958 he worked as an editor in several Latvian magazines and newspapers such as  “Literatūra un Māksla” (“Literature and Art”), et al., in the Riga Cinema Studio, and in publishing industry. One of his biggest achievements in the 1960s was the collection of poems Elpa/Breath (1966). Many of his works discussed social issues, tragic events of his time, revealed hypocrisy and demagogy in politics. His poetry is characterised by poetical directness, intensity and lyricism, along with a grotesque portrayal of social life. Vācietis' poems have been translated into Russian, Geaorgian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Estonian, and English, and many of his lyric works have been adapted for musical compositions, cantatas, and animations. Vācietis also wrote poems for children, published in collections Sasiesim astes/Let Us Tie Ourselves up by Our Tails (1967), Kabata/The Pocket (1976) and selection Astoņi kustoņi/Eight Animals (1984); and prose, as well as translated poetry and other works, like Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita. Selected works by Ojārs Vācietis have been published in 10 volumes.

Poetry
Tālu ceļu vējš (1956)
Ugunīs (1958)
Krāces apiet nav laika (1960)
Viņu adrese - taiga [Their address - taiga] (1966)
"Elpa" (1966)
"Dzegužlaiks" (1968)
"Aiz simtās slāpes" (1969)
"Melnās ogas" (1971)
"Visāda garuma stundas" (1974)
"Gamma" (1976)
"Antracīts" (1978)
"Zibens pareizrakstība" (1980)
"Si minors" (1982)
"Nolemtība" (1985, grāmatās nepublicēti dzejoļi, sast. Vija Kaņepe)
"Kāpēc?"
Dzejoļi bērniem
"Dziesma par …" (1965)
"Sasiesim astes" (1967)
"Punktiņš, punktiņš, komatiņš" (1971)
"Kabata" (1976)
"Astoņi kustoņi" (1984)
"Sveču grāmata" (1988)
"Viens gāja pa ceļu"
Dzejas izlases
"Klavierkoncerts" ("Dzeja jaunatnei", 1978, sastād. Vija Kaņepe)
"Izlase" (1981)
"Ojārs Vācietis" (1983, sastād. Vija Kaņepe)
"Rītam ticēt" (1986)
"Ex Libris. Dažādu gadu dzejoļi" (1988, sastād. Vija Kaņepe)
"Es protu noņemt sāpes" (1993, sakārt. Ludmila Azarova)
"Putns ar zīda asti" (1997, mīlas dzejoļi)
"Uz putnu lielceļa" (1998)
"Dvēseles nospiedums" (2002)
"Lirika" [2003]
"Novembris" (2003)
"Tuvums" (2003, mīlas lirika)
"Es tevī esmu iemīlējies, pasaule!" [2004]
"Klavierkoncerts" (2006, ar CD)
Dažādi
"Tās dienas acīm. Gandrīz dienasgrāmata" (1959, 2. izdevums 1975)
"Ar pūces spalvu. Raksti, apceres, intervijas" (1983)
"Starp dzejoli un dzejoli" (1993, zīmējumu mape)
"Kopoti raksti 10 sējumos" (1989—2003)

Safak Costu. Celebrating 90 Years of Ojārs Vācietis: A Luminary of Latvian Literature // BNN Breaking, November 2023 [EN]

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

About Ojārs Vācietis // Letonika.lv [LV]

Eva Eglāja-Kristsone, about Ojārs Vācietis works // Jaunā Gaita nr. 237, jūnijs 2004 [LV]

1967, Latvian SSR State prize