Latvians are left without their “Game of Thrones”
“If it had been possible to film the historical novel “Seal in red wax”, most likely Latvians would have their own “Game of Thrones” – that was one of the theses that arose some time ago in public discussions about the trilogy of writer Jānis Lejiņas. And why not? – Lejiņš has worked on our 12th century historical masterpiece for almost 10 years, delving into the authenticity of the characters in the novel, and – which is especially characteristic of Jānis – studying our centuries-old history together with archaeologists and historians. The trilogy is one of the most republished works of modern Latvian literature: it cannot be found on bookshelves. To the delight of many readers, another printing press is expected in the near future.
“Seal in red wax” 2 min
“We Latvians know our history quite well, starting from the 19th century, but we know very little about our great-great-great-grandmothers and even more distant branches of the family tree,” comments the writer’s spouse on what seems to be the most watched and beloved Latvian multi-series of all time the director of the video film “Likteņa lidumnieki” Viržinija Lejiņa, who also intended to play “Seal in red wax” in the film. “All of Jānis’ works are very cinematic: just take and film,” comments the director. “While working on the film script, we really wanted to raise Latvian self-confidence, dispelling the myth that we are a nation of slaves and servants. Because that’s not true! Quite the contrary: we have something to be proud of, something to tell others and ourselves too!” a sad note about the failure of the film is heard in the voice of the talented director.
The unrealized series3min
The key to a writer’s success
Lejiņš is direct, with a good sense of humor, a manly man who, when asked about the key to a writer’s success, just laughs: “The biggest secret of a writer’s success is very clear: a cast-iron ass!” – and continues about his daily routine as a writer: “I get up in the morning, run my treadmill, take a shower, grab a cup of coffee and a cigarette, and go to work,” – referring to his home desk. “And I sit until I feel sick!”
By the way, Erich Marija Remarks had exactly the same thoughts as Lejiņš: “A writer’s success ratio is made up of 10% talent, 90% bottom!”
The novel as a source of history
Jānis is one of the rare writers whose heart’s calling is precisely the ancient historical novel. Everything begins with the preparatory process, the scrupulous research of the topic, which takes several years: “History must be organized. Each field of history works in its own direction, so for every fact I have written there are 2-3 sources. You cannot rely on only one source: you have to put history together , linguistics and anthropology studies, written sources are only one of many. It must be understood that each written text wants to achieve something. Often these are ancient ideological texts, including the “Chronicle of Indriķas”, the writer explains.
“Our Latvian history was written by Germans and Russians. We finally have to write it ourselves!” Jānis Lejiņš once expressed himself. “And in any case, I would like my novel to be used as a source of history. Not only fiction.”
What is the historical novel for? 2 min
Writing a novel is like kneading clay
After research, the writing work follows, for which Jānis has very high quality criteria: each episode, which we read in a minute, required Lejiņas several months of effort: “It’s like with clay: you knead, knead, knead until you get what you want . Then there is the burning process, and if you see that you have not succeeded, then start again,” comments the writer.
“During the writing process, it is important for me to catch the rhythm, so I can correct a word, but if I need to correct more than half a page, then I rewrite from the end. Because, in my opinion, language should flow like honey – slowly, thickly, with such a rustling tone. The text should be charged. Mathematically, I calculate that I have about 10-12 discards per finished page.”
The hardest task of a writer2min
A titanic job
“It’s a titanic job, the way Lejiņš works. Working on the trilogy [“Zīmogs sarkanā vaskā”]Jānis devoted three years to it, 16-18 hours a day, no wonder he was completely shot out. It’s a sacrifice!” Jānis Rēdlihs, director, former colleague of Lejiņas at Latvian Television, describes the high price of true craftsmanship. “But, of course, not everyone accepts that sacrifice,” smiles Rēdlihs. “And maybe, only as a result of such work, an artist or – in this case – the writer can connect to other dimensions and discover much more than historians. Because other informational fields are already connected there, the real information comes: how it was in reality.”
On the other hand, Lejiņš himself admits that the greatest satisfaction is when some parents say: my fifteen-year-old son, who doesn’t like to read at all, didn’t get up from the sofa until he read that book through!” , director Jānis Rēdlihs knows how to tell that in their teenage years, boys really grew up with this book, until they closed the last cover of the novel. Who knows, maybe the heroism of our ancestors in the 12th century later inspired our famous hockey players to fight selflessly? And to some extent has influenced the emergence of strong men not only on the sports field: a similar story is also shared by the pianist and composer Vestard Šimkum.
Real old literature for the growth of real men
“True oldies are few and far between, and this is an example: a strong fight, an emotion, a distinct moment of honor – these are oldies. I know this because my boys read this novel too, and those were the things that struck a chord with them.” acknowledges the father of hockey player Rēdlihs, Jānis Rēdlihs. “Not only the plot, which is very interesting and from which you can’t even tear yourself away, but the things of the essence of the old people are in there. And I was also very excited: I read with my whole body – I was ready for a fight, I was worried. It was a great experience!”
2024-01-27 07:18:42
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