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OPINION


In 2017, Queen of Seagulls, a comic fable about self- discovery, won the Janis Baltvilks Prize


How could a nation present its literature at one of the world’s pre-eminent book fairs when so many of its creators were reluctant to be in the spotlight?


Anete Konste O


Naughty Gnat is part of the pocket- sized illustrated Bicki-Bucks series, designed by Briede


ne afternoon in late 2016, the team was at Teatra Bars (Theater Bar) in Riga, brainstorming how to best attract attention to the Latvian exhibition stand at the London Book Fair. We


had just finished a list of Latvian literature’s strengths, which emphasised our illustra- tors and female writers, when our creative director, Una Rozenbauma, asked: “Alright, what about our weaknesses?” We concluded that many of our writers are hesitant over, or simply incapable, of public speaking; are bad at small-talk; and are bad at selling and marketing themselves. Within a week, Una put forth the #iamin-


trovert concept, which was immediately endorsed by the Latvian Literature team. Toms Harjo, our photographer and videogra- pher, made our first videos featuring Latvian authors coyly confessing that they are intro- verts. The writers were welcoming towards the idea and almost unanimously accepted the new framework for presenting their work abroad. “Almost unanimously” is quite an achievement when it comes to artists. We sourced some coats from a charity


shop, printed quotes by Latvian writers on them, commissioned a photo backdrop with a view of the Baltic Sea, and a banner with our slogan, and bought a portable clothing rack from IKEA. We then brought all this to the London Book Fair in our personal luggage, having missed the official transport. We, of course, had no idea that in a year’s time all this will be proudly called a “campaign”. Later, as part of this campaign, illustrator Reinis Pētersons and I created an online cartoon depicting the life of an introverted Latvian writer (now available as a book),


poet Krišjānis Zeļģis brewed a beer, and our designer, Madara Botmane, designed a unique t-shirt. Now we could proudly say “you can see us, wear us and drink us”, if you will.


Hanging out I remember sitting next to our DIY “Introverted Wardrobe” at LBF in 2017, not too far from the bins, eating noodle soup, when the state secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Sandis Voldinš, passed by. “I’m about to meet the fair’s board of directors. What do you need for the next year?”, he asked. “We want ads in toilets!” we answered, without hesitation. These ads turned out to be an effective way of attracting media attention in London, but also internationally—the campaign did the rounds in the Latvian tabloids, too. This campaign made us reconsider our


We concluded that many of our writers are hesitant over, or simply incapable of, public speaking


careers on multiple occasions because we frequently get asked, in relation to the printed charity shop coats: “Where can you buy these?” If they were for sale, the coats would be a bestseller. Some of them found owners at the “Introverted Carnival” last December, and some are still teasing guests at the Magnetic Latvia Information Centre at


Riga International Airport. However, we don’t intend to change our line of business. At least not before “Where can you buy… Latvian literature?!” has become the most frequently asked question in UK bookshops.


Photography: Toms Harjo


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