The publication traces the phenomenon of reading from the Middle Ages to the present day, looking at historical developments also in the context of the social changes brought about by the last year under pandemic conditions.
Researchers Gustavs Strenga and Ilva Skulte will discuss the topic online (in Latvian) but the publication itself wll be available in both Latvian and English.
The content of the collection consists of research that was produced in cooperation with the literary and philosophical magazine Punctum. The authors represent the LNB and other research institutions, and are include leading Latvian literary scholars and historians in their topics: Gustavs Strenga, Māra Grudule, Pauls Daija, Lilija Limane, Kristīne Zaļuma, Viesturs Zanders, Jana Dreimane, Ilva Skulte and Anda Baklāne.
"The history of reading, located on the border between bibliography and literary studies (especially the social history of literature), allows us to see those tacit, masked or simply unnoticed fragments of history that remain outside the perspective of literary and book research. Reading history is also a story of national, social and gender emancipation over the centuries," said advance publicity maerials.
