Born in Rīga in 1926, Zigmunds Skujiņš was one of the most outstanding Latvian writers. Among his best-known works are the novels "Columbus' Grandsons" (1961), "Nudity" (1970), "Bed with a Golden Leg" (1984) and "Flesh-Colored Dominoes" (1999), though he also cotributed to the canons of Latvian drama and poetry.
Skujiņš's first short story appeared in 1948. His books are among the most widely read and published, many works have been adapted for cinema and theater, and many translated (into English, German, French, Russian, Lithuanian, Czech, Georgian, and other languages).
He also had a reputation for being outspoken on social, political, historical and moral issues, since his interests reached far beyond literature, and he spent a lot of his life travelling and describing his experiences. More than seven million copies of Skujiņš’s works have been published in various languages and he won numerous awards in his distinguished career including the Latvian Cabinet of Ministers lifetime achievement prize in 2007.
Our condolences to his family and friends.