The writer Juris Zvirgzdiņš was born in Riga in 1941. Studied at the then State University of Latvia's Faculty of History and Philology. Having worked as an editor with book publishers “Vaga” and “Artava,” he focused entirely on writing later.
Juris Zvirgzdiņš entered literature in 1982 – he wrote plays, miniatures, stories, and essays, turned to children's literature in the '90s and wrote more than 30 books in this genre. The author's most vivid literary character is the bear Tobiass, one of the writer's own toy collection bears. The website of the Latvian Literature Annual Award highlights that in his texts Zvirgzdiņš masterfully weaves documentary facts and fantasy with events based on real experience and narrated in a vivid way.
The author's works have been translated in many languages, including Lithuanian, Finnish, Armenian, Italian, and others.
Our condolences to Juris Zvirgzdiņš' loved ones, colleagues, and fans of his work.
