100 Years Since the Birth of Poet Kārlis Kalnietis

Poet Kārlis Kalnietis was born on 15 February 1919 in Ķoņi Parish. At the very beginning of the national awakening (1992), an entirely inexplicable illness carried him away into eternity. Thus, he did not live to see the publication of his only collection of poems, which appeared in 1994.

“Having drawn strength from the soil of his native Ķoņi, from tundra-clad Norilsk and the quiet small town of Rūjiena, he always walked towards the sun, bathing every soul in light,” writes Dace Stabiņa in the introduction to the collection of poems “With a Kind Word” .

“Two wings—hatred and love
Carry my songs,”—the poet himself confesses. Hatred for the traitors who humiliate their own people, betray their brother to the enemy, sign lists of those condemned to death, destroy the family home, spit in the face of truth, and never cease crawling and bowing. The poet’s love wishes well to his mother, the beloved girl, true friends, and all those whose souls hold, like a drop of dew, the radiance of the dainas. To both enemies and friends, poetry cannot be read in the same way, because neither in stone nor in wood, but in his written lines, he has sought not to conceal the insight of a true and radiant human life: Look with your own eyes, walk your own path. Simplicity, openness, and truthfulness—these are what the poet values most highly in people, and he deeply detests polished speeches. He lashes out at opportunism and at the spineless person who, by grovelling, is capable of selling more than just his honour. He places stupidity and boastfulness on the same shelf of vices. Yet time and wisdom separate the grain from the chaff; therefore, Kārlis Kalnietis’s poetry seeks to awaken the good in people and calls on them:
“With a kind word, bid the sun farewell, With a kind word, walk towards the morning. And all the years you have lived, Like kind words, will ring out to the world.”

(After Dace Stabiņa)

Kārlis Kalnietis graduated from Rūjiena Secondary School in 1940. In 1945, for “treason against the homeland,” he was sentenced to 10 years in Norilsk and one year in Karaganda without the right to return. In 1956, K. Kalnietis returned to Rūjiena and worked in various occupations—as a disinfector, plumber, carpenter, bookkeeper, and insurance agent. His first poem, “By the Fireplace,” was published in 1935 in the school literary magazine “Teka.” Most of his poems were published in the local periodicals. Several of his poems were chosen by composers A. Žilinskis, R. Jermaks, Ē. Siliņš, A. Rozenbergs, A. Burvis, and others as lyrics for songs.

K. Kalnietis died on 11 March 1992 and was buried in Rūjiena, at Bērtulis Cemetery.

From 15 February, a memorial exhibition dedicated to poet Kārlis Kalnietis will be held at the Rūjiena Exhibition Hall (7 Upes Street).