Lot #35: Rare 1972 Latvian Trimda Diaspora 2-Vol Set: Jānis Poruks - Stāsti un Noveles (Tilta Apgād

Title: Stāsti un Noveles (Stories and Novellas) — Complete 2-Volume Set Author: Jānis Poruks Publisher: Tilta Apgāds (Bridge Publishing), Minneapolis Publication Year: 1972 Language: Latvian Binding: Hardcover wrapped in original illustrated dust jackets. The underlying inner boards are bound in beautiful, premium burgundy cloth with gold/blind stamping. Dust Jacket Artwork Credit: "Gustava Šķiltera vāks" (Jacket designed by the prominent Latvian sculptor and graphic artist Gustavs Šķilters). Collector’s Notes & Points of Interest: • The Dust Jackets & Preservation: Finding 20th-century Trimda literature with its original paper dust jackets intact is a major plus for book collectors. These paper wrappers were easily torn or discarded over the decades. The jacket preserves the underlying burgundy cloth case in excellent condition. • The Publisher (Tilta Apgāds & Trimda Literature): This edition is a prime piece of Trimda (Latvian exile/diaspora) publishing history. Following WWII, thousands of Latvian intellectuals fled Soviet occupation. Tilta Apgāds became one of the crucial diaspora publishing houses operating in the West (based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota). They meticulously preserved Latvian culture by printing high-quality editions of native literature that were restricted, banned, or heavily censored back in Soviet-occupied Latvia. • The Author (Jānis Poruks): Born in 1871, Jānis Poruks is revered as a monumental figure in Latvian literature, widely considered the founder of the romantic branch of Latvian letters, as well as a pioneer of neoromanticism and prose poetry. His short stories and novellas are deeply introspective, focusing on spiritual longing, existential questioning, and emotional honesty. • The Cover Art: The dust jacket notes "Gustava Šķiltera vāks," celebrating the visual composition by Gustavs Šķilters (1874–1954). Šķilters was a pioneer of impressionist sculpture in Latvia and a brilliant graphic designer whose classic, art-nouveau-influenced motifs perfectly frame Poruks' romantic narratives. • Language Significance: Written entirely in Latvian, these volumes served to keep the language alive for exile communities worldwide during a period when native cultural identity was actively under threat back home. Pickup category timeslot {A}