| Zdroj: |
Literature & Culture: Process, Interaction, Problems / Literatūra un Kultūra: Process, Mijiedarbība, Problēmas; 2016, Vol. 17, p153-162, 10p |
| Abstrakt: |
Juris Zvirgzdiņš (1941) is one of the most popular and prolific contemporary Latvian children's literature authors who has written books for children since the 1980s. The writer's works produce both serious reflections on social, ecological, even political issues (Bebru atgriešanās, Pēdējais pūķis un Artūrs un Uū, etc.) and playfully presented educating information (Mana Latvija, Mufa, Pirmā Ziemassvētku eglīte, Kad muzejā iespīd Mēness, Ahoi! Plūdi Daugavā, No Rīgas līdz Rīgai, etc.). The writer has about 20 books dedicated to children. The portrait gallery produced by the writer is versatile including those of children, personified animals and birds (e.g. beavers, cats, dogs, roosters, parrots), fairy-tale characters (e.g. dragon), and toys, among which his favourite is the plush teddy-bear Tobias. The range of the personified images is wide and each book adds new ones to it. It is noteworthy that the space of action in J. Zvirgzdiņš' prose fiction for children is basically town, mostly Riga (though rather often there occur other European cities and exotic countries as well) that in a peculiar way reveal the writer's vision of the town. The vision of Riga by personified characters has certain semantic components: historical objects and signs, symbols of Riga of national significance, urban environment objects of the present-day Riga that form a peculiar mental map of characters. J. Zvirgzdiņš' recently published books are marked by a peculiar intellectual aspect that demonstrates the author's wide knowledge and is revealed by means of seemingly primitive, personified images, making the potential target audience of his books wide and ambiguous. It must be noted that the writer addresses the interested reader indirectly as a guide, both explaining the way to the museum and commenting objects encountered on the selected route. The plot lines and personified images may differ in their complexity and subtlety from book to book, yet the depiction of Riga remains constant and unchanging - with recognizable panoramas, significant historic-cultural values, and the status matching that of a capital city. Fusion of reality and imagination characteristic of fairy-tales reveals limitless possibilities for the writer of creating most diverse images and miraculous coincidences. Any kind of life material can assume miraculous features and, vice versa, the miraculous fits the real time and space. Imagination makes it possible to transcend the dull and harsh reality of life, feel the breath of beauty and greatness. All books by J. Zvirgzdiņš have dynamic plots, many adventures, and happy endings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
