New literary journal recalls writer Jaunsudrabiņš's love of fishing

The fourth 2026 issue of the journal Domuzīme features a piece recalling writer Jānis Jaunsudrabiņš's (1877–1962) deep connection to nature and fishing.

The article draws on a letter Jaunsudrabiņš wrote in the summer of 1946 to fellow writer Jānis Širmanis. By then living in exile, Jaunsudrabiņš confided that when the bustle of people wore him down, he knew where to find calm: by the water, fishing regularly, twice a week. In the same letter he noted that new stories were still taking shape, even though writing had become difficult.

A link to an earlier work

The article's author writes that Jaunsudrabiņš's name brings to mind his 1921 sketch Ar makšķeri ("With a Fishing Rod"). Reading it evokes a vivid summer scene: a sun-drenched, sweltering day, the scent of flowers and grass, the chirring of grasshoppers, and, in the distance by the river, a man patiently watching his float.

The piece highlights how closely Jaunsudrabiņš's character and literary work were tied to observations of nature and the peace he found spending time by water — a thread running through both his private correspondence and his fiction.