Egodokumenti radošas personības izpētē: ieskats Olafa Stumbra arhīva materiālos

Abstract

The archives of creative personalities, which are mostly deposited in memory institutions and form the basis of their collections, play an important role in the study of their lives and work. The paths by which these archives enter the repositories of libraries and archives are varied. But it is important not only to select, describe, document and include these new acquisitions in collections, but also to make them known to the public. The article provides insight into the new acquisitions of the poet Olafs Stumbrs (1931–1996) at the Latvian National Museum of Literature and Music, which significantly complement the poet’s collection with correspondence, manuscripts, autobiographical notes, various printed works, and other materials. The article aims to outline a research perspective, stimulate interest in archival research, and encourage examining the biographical data of Stumbrs in relation to his work and in the context of Latvian and exile experiences. Such materials, viewed within the theoretical framework of egodocuments and the biographical approach, also remind us of cultural memory, of the importance of archival studies in research and encourage us to search for these authentic and unique materials in the repositories of memory institutions, at the same time confirming the importance of these institutions to purposefully search, document and preserve the legacy of these cultural personalities. The article’s methodology is based on archival materials and manuscripts, viewed in the context of the era and the poet’s personality. Each person’s life constitutes a kind of microworld, also in a historical and temporal context. The life story of Latvian exiled creative personalities, including the poet Stumbrs, viewed in the framework of archival materials and egodocuments, provides an insight into the life and times of authentic and personal thoughts, and at the same time forms the common story of Latvian history, culture and literature, in which the contribution and freedom of creative thought of each individual plays a role, as well as an understanding of the fate of people in the twists and turns of 20th-century history.