‘Bogene’ (2017)

Gundega Repše’s novel ‘Bogene’ illuminates a tragic moment in the history of Latvia – 1940 – 1941, the first wave of repressions. This message is like a brutal flash of lightning that does not leave you blind, but opens up a new sight channel and convinces you with a crisp, recognizable, and at the same time timeless wave of relics. Any metaphor used here is an independent image that supports the message, but what makes it most special is the unadvertised, but precisely perceived underlying ideological task – nothing is more grim than the suffering of the spirit – death will alleviate the suffering imposed on the body, while the torture of the nation’s spirit is suffering on a cosmic scale – nothing can possibly soothe that.

‘When the world is going insane, only the fundamental values remain – family, home, the people, and the soul. Almost pulpable is the sensation of an analogy between today’s reality and the one almost a century ago. A warning from the subconsciousness just a moment before the malfortunate event.’ (Valērijs Bolokoņs, patron of the book series ‘We. Latvia. XX Century.’).

The book was published in the series ‘We. Latvia. XX Century.’ within the framework of the SCCF’s target programme ‘National Identity’.