Lot #13: Rare 1965 Latvian Expatriate Edition: "Māsas Rondoli" by Guy de Maupassant

Rare vintage hardcover edition of Māsas Rondoli: Noveles un stāsti (The Rondoli Sisters: Novellas and Stories), written by the master of the French short story, Guy de Maupassant (printed in Latvian phonetics as Gijs de Mopasans). Published in 1965 by the legendary émigré publishing house Tilta apgāds, this striking volume features a vibrant orange cloth/textured hardcover with unique, stylized mid-century cover art on the front and intricate geometric and organic gilting running down the spine. This text features a collection of Maupassant's most celebrated realism, focusing on the ironies, passions, and psychological nuances of 19th-century French life. The Publisher (Tilta Apgāds): Following the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states, DP (Displaced Persons) camps and subsequent emigration waves established vibrant Latvian intellectual hubs abroad. Based primarily out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Tilta apgāds was one of the premier diaspora publishing houses. They worked tirelessly to keep Latvian literary culture alive outside the iron curtain, producing high-quality books that are highly sought after today due to restricted print runs. • The Language & Translation: This copy serves as a fascinating artifact of linguistic history. Because it was printed by the exile community to preserve the native tongue for displaced families, the phrasing avoids the localized Russification of text that occurred inside Soviet-occupied Latvia during the mid-60s. • The Author (Guy de Maupassant): Widely regarded as a father of the modern short story, Maupassant’s works focus heavily on human vulnerabilities, ironies, and structural classes. Finding specialized translations of his specific collection Les Sœurs Rondoli (1884) printed within the Cold War diaspora ecosystem adds a highly unique cross-cultural layer to any library. Pickup category timeslot {A}