Other events in Baltic States

Latvian poetess Elza Kezbere died Wednesday, July 6, in New York at the age of 100, as Tirza County Development Association Chairman Nils Treijs informed LETA.

Elza Kezbere was born on May 5, 1911 in Tirza village. In 1944, she fled to Germany, and had lived in New York since 1950.

The poetess has written nine poetry books. She wrote about love, Latvian nature, the memory of close people, as well as sorrow and resignation. More than 140 of her poems have been used as lyrics for popular songs.

Kezbere was a recipient of the Three Star Order.

The first Kezbere's poetry collection "Profils stikla" (Profile in the Glass), published in 1937, and "Dziedosais gliemezvaks" (Singing Shell), published in 1938, reflect Kezbere's love of beauty, her wallowing in the past, desire for love, and her love for small and beautiful things.

The collection "Vestules Peram Gintam" (Letters to Per Gynt) was republished six times after its first edition in 1938, but the most remarkable of her poetry books is "Jaapsnieg" (To Be Covered in Snow), published in 1943.

Kezbere wrote about Latvia, her feelings as a refugee and during her exile years in New York. In her poetry, Kezbere was looking for beauty and love. She wrote about dreams and pain, about longing for home, her loved ones and her country.