Pauls Bankovskis is a Latvian writer and journalist whose work often delves into the exploration of identity and the individual's place within society. He channels his journalistic experiences and profound interest in philosophy into insightful texts that uncover hidden truths about human nature. His writing is characterized by intelligent humor and an unconventional perspective on reality, offering readers a thought-provoking and refreshing experience. Bankovskis masterfully weaves together diverse literary styles and themes, crafting complex and memorable narratives.
By discovering diaries, photos and other material, contemporaries are taken back to the period of 1917 and 1918 when Latvia stumbled towards its destiny as an independent republic. Profound, original and keen to reveal not only the complexities of an important historical event, but a later generation's relationship to it.
Riga may be over 800 years old as a city, but its status as capital of an independent Latvia is only a century old, with half of that time spent under Soviet rule. Despite this, it has established itself as a vibrant, creative hub, attracting artists, performers, and writers from across the Baltic region. The stories gathered here chronicle this growth and on-going transformation, and offer glimpses into the dark humor, rich history, contrasting perspectives, and love of the mythic, that sets the city's artistic community apart. As its history might suggest, Riga is a work in progress; and for many of the characters in these stories, it is the possibilities of what the city might become, more than merely what it is now, that drives the imagination of its people.