Poetry Concert “Pretmets vai patmets” (“Opposite or Not?”)

“Pretmets vai patmets?” (“Opposite or Not?”), a never-experienced-before event that promises to bring Liepāja voices into direct dialogue with world poetry.
Two internationally acclaimed poets – Sabine Huynh from France and Gökçenur Ç from Turkey – will arrive in Liepāja to work creatively alongside Liepāja authors Gunta Šnipke and Roberts Vilsons.

After several days of joint workshops and rehearsals, their collaboration will culminate on 11 September at 19:00, in a special evening at Wiktorija, where Liepāja’s poetry will be heard in French and Turkish, while the works of the visiting poets will echo in Latvian translation.

Words will meet music on stage, featuring Liepāja musicians Henrijs Leijs (double bass), Elza Marija Buša (piano) and Raimonds Leja-Andersons (saxophone).

In the days leading up to the performance, the visiting poets will also meet young people in Liepāja’s secondary schools, alongside their work with Liepāja poets.
This year’s Poetry Days in Liepāja, celebrated from 9 to 20 September, are dedicated to the 160th anniversary of Rainis – poet, dramatist and thinker, whose works remain a bedrock of Latvian literature and culture. The programme invites audiences to discover poetry in many forms – from musical picnics in the park to author evenings in libraries, creative workshops for schoolchildren, literary discussions, and commemorative events for Rainis, Aspazija and Olafs Gūtmanis.

The full Poetry Days 2025 programme is available at www.liepaja.lv/dzejasdienas2025

The celebration is organised by the Liepāja City Central Scientific Library in cooperation with the Liepāja Culture Department, the Liepāja 2027 Foundation and the Liepāja branch of the Latvian Writers’ Union. All events are open to the public and free of charge.