ACT A UNIVERSIT ATIS STOCKHOLMIENSIS Stockholm Studies in Baltic Languages Displaced Literature Images of Time and Space in Latvian Novels Depicting the First Years of the Latvian Postwar Exile Juris RozƯtis Stockholm University © Juris RozƯtis, Stockholm 2005 ISSN 0281-5478 ISBN 91-85445-09-6 Printed in Sweden by Elanders Gotab Distributor: Almqvist & Wiksell International To: Elza Ɩbele, Ernests Aistars, ArvƝds Alksnis, Ella Andersone, Arnolds Apse, Lnjcija BƗrene, Lnjcija BƝrziƼa, Anita Daugule, Alfreds Dziƺums, Anšlavs EglƯtis, Dzintars Freimanis, Eduards Freimanis, Irma Grebzde, Indra GubiƼa, Gunars Janovskis, JƗnis JaunsudrabiƼš, Nikolajs KalniƼš, ValdemƗrs KƗrkliƼš, JƗnis KlƯdzƝjs, ElvƯra KociƼa, Elga Kore, Rihards Kraulis, KƗrlis ƶezbers, Sandra LazdiƼa, Rita Liepa, OƺƧerts LiepiƼš, Zenta MauriƼa, JonƗss Miesnieks, Konstance MiƷelsone, AƯda Niedra, Arturs Plaudis, Arnolds Rasa, KonstantƯns Raudive, VoldemƗrs Richters, Ʀirts Salnais, Eduards Silkalns, Dzintars Sodums, JƗnis Širmanis, Eiženija TƗlmane, Velta Toma, IngrƯda VƯksna, Guntis ZariƼš, Dzidra ZeberiƼa, Modris ZeberiƼš, Teodors ZeltiƼš, Aina Zemdega. Contents Acknowledgements .......................................................................................13 INTRODUCTION 1 The Mental Topography of Exile ............................................................17 The Concept of Exile ..................................................................................................... 19 Time and Space ............................................................................................................ 23 2 Exile Novels against the Background of Latvian Literary History ..........25 The Novels as Social/Cultural Testimony ..................................................................... 25 The Novels as a Collective Text.................................................................................... 26 Changing Models of Time and Space in Latvian Literature .......................................... 28 The Literature of Earlier Exiles ...................................................................................... 32 3 The Novels .............................................................................................36 4 Thematic Classification of Latvian Exile Novels ....................................42 Historical Novels............................................................................................................ 42 Novels of Latvia before the War .................................................................................... 43 Novels of War and Occupation...................................................................................... 44 Exile Novels Set in the Soviet Union............................................................................. 45 Life Stories..................................................................................................................... 46 Novels About Life in Exile.............................................................................................. 47 Flight into exile and the early years of settling in a new land .................................. 47 Stability in exile ........................................................................................................ 47 Distance from exile .................................................................................................. 48 Stylized/Abstract Novels................................................................................................ 49 The Focus of this Survey............................................................................................... 51 5 Models for Analysis of Time and Space in Latvian Novels of Exile .......53 Settings and Plots..........................................................................................................53 Time in the Novels......................................................................................................... 54 Space in the Novels ...................................................................................................... 56 The Standard Model of Time-Space ............................................................................. 57 INTO EXILE Novels about Postwar Germany and the DP Camps 6 The Latvian Postwar Exile – Historical Background ..............................63 To Sweden ....................................................................................................................64 Germany and the DP Camps ........................................................................................ 64 Cultural life in the DP camps....................................................................................65 The DP Novels .............................................................................................................. 66 7 “Time is wasting us” – Time in the DP Novels .......................................68 The Irretrievable Past .................................................................................................... 68 The Unforeseeable Future. ........................................................................................... 74 The Limbo of the Present .............................................................................................. 80 8 No Man’s Land - Space in the DP Novels..............................................86 External Space .............................................................................................................88 Formal Societal Space – Germany .............................................................................. 89 The physical space of Germany .............................................................................. 89 Social space............................................................................................................. 96 Political space – borders........................................................................................ 102 Everyday Societal Space: the DP Camps ..................................................................107 The physical space of the camps .......................................................................... 107 Public space – organization ................................................................................... 111 Social space........................................................................................................... 116 Intimate Space ............................................................................................................119 Personal Private Space ..............................................................................................122 9 “A World in Which We Have to Live” – The Plots of the DP Novels ....127 Setting as Plot ............................................................................................................. 132 Plot within Setting ........................................................................................................ 133 Plot as Quintessence of Setting .................................................................................. 133 A NEW LIFE IN A NEW LAND Novels about Settling in Exile 10 Latvian Émigré Communities – Historical Background......................137 Earlier Emigration from Latvia ..................................................................................... 137 Resettlement of the Latvian Postwar Refugees .......................................................... 137 Latvian Émigré Organization and Social/Cultural Activity ........................................... 138 Novels about the First Years in the New Country ....................................................... 140 11 A New Land – Space in the New Land Novels ..................................141 A World Outside the War............................................................................................. 142 The Strangeness of the New Land.............................................................................. 143 Modernity ..................................................................................................................... 147 Freedom of Movement ................................................................................................ 153 Personal Private Space ..............................................................................................158 Intimate Private Space ............................................................................................... 166 Everyday Societal Space of the New Land ................................................................170 Formal Societal Space of the New Land .................................................................... 178 The Everyday Societal Space of the Latvian Community ..........................................188 Formal Societal Space – the Latvian Identity .............................................................195 Geographic External Space – Other Lands ...............................................................198 Latvia as a New, Separate Space ............................................................................... 199 Abstract External Space – Exile as Man’s Existential Condition ...............................204 12 A New Life – The Employment of Time in the New Land Novels ......210 Past and Future ........................................................................................................... 210 The Present ................................................................................................................