Deadly Nightshade: Selected Poems

by Liana Langa and Margita Gailitis

Liana Langa in her poetry raises the classic existential issues of the intensity and diversity of life, the daily presence of death, unavoidable loneliness, the materialism of the era, man's moral obligations and the defence of humanism. She displays above all a personal stoicism and the poetical ‘I' stance accepting of the humanism criteria of individual perseverance, of survival and obstinacy, precisely that which shapes the cultural values of an individual set against an oft-dehumanized and mediocre environment and the limitations and single mindedness of a consumption oriented society. Her acceptance of the utmost importance of moral values and the defence thereof through the lyrical ‘I' is one of the most characteristic sources of Langa's poetic inspiration.

130 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting collection of poetry by a leading poet from Latvia. Some friends and I attended an international open house involving multiple embassies in Washington DC. When we visited the Latvian embassy, they were doing a poetry reading, which included one from this collection. We liked it enough to buy the book. She has some particularly strong images that I really like, and some political-based reactions that I don't fully understand because I don't know much Latvian history. Definitely a different read for me.