Ieva Lešinska (born 2 July 1958) is a Latvian translator, journalist and editor.

Biography

Ieva Lešinska-Geibere (Ieva Lešinska) studied English

philology Philology () is the study of language in Oral tradition, oral and writing, written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also de ...

at the

University of Latvia University of Latvia (, shortened ''LU'') is a public research university located in Riga, Latvia. The university was established in 1919. History The University of Latvia, initially named as the Higher School of Latvia () was founded on Se ...

. In 1978 she

defected In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state in exchange for allegiance to another, changing sides in a way which is considered illegitimate by the first state. More broadly, defection involves abandoning a person, ca ...

to the United States with her father, a

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

diplomat who was a spy for the US, where she was granted

political asylum The right of asylum, sometimes called right of political asylum (''asylum'' ), is a juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereignty, sovereign authority, such as a second country or ...

. In the USA Lešinska studied at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

and the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver, and the U ...

. In 1987 she moved to Sweden, where she worked as a journalist and translator, and studied for a Master of Arts in Baltic philology at the

Stockholm University Stockholm University (SU) () is a public university, public research university in Stockholm, Sweden, founded as a college in 1878, with university status since 1960. With over 33,000 students at four different faculties: law, humanities, social ...

. She now lives in Riga and works as a translator. The story of Lešinska and her father's defection to the USA was made into the film "My Father the Spy" which premiered in June 2019 at

Sheffield International Documentary Festival Sheffield DocFest (formerly styled Sheffield Doc/Fest; abbr.Sheffield International Documentary Festival or SIDF) is an international documentary festival and industry marketplace held annually in Sheffield, England. The festival revolves aro ...

. In the film, Lešinska investigates the life of her father, Imants Lešinskis, who was a double agent and spy for the CIA and KGB, and the events which led him to organising for her to visit him on the holiday which would lead to her defection. The film describes the story of how Lešinska was forced to leave Latvia and her mother, whom she would never see again, and became a political refugee in the USA. Member of the Latvian Writers' Union (2004).

Bibliography

Translations into English

Uldis Bērziņš Uldis Bērziņš (17 May 1944 – 24 March 2021) was a Latvian poet and translator. Biography He studied Latvian philology at the University of Latvia and published his first collection of poetry in 1980. Bērziņš studied Turkish in Leningra ...

. ''An Ordinary Stone'' (''Parasts akmens''). Rīga, 1992. *

Māris Čaklais Māris Čaklais (16 June 1940 – 13 December 2003) was a Latvian poet, writer, and journalist. Biography Čaklais studied journalism at the University of Latvia until 1964; his first publications appeared in 1960. He translated to Latvian Be ...

. ''Ten Love Songs to Riga'' (''Desmit mīlas dziesmas Rīgai''). Rīga: Pētergailis, 2000. * ''Six Latvian Poets'' . Auziņa, I. Balode, A. Krivade, M. Pujāts, M. Salējs, K. Vērdiņš/small>. Todmorden: Arc Publications, 2011. *

Kārlis Vērdiņš Kārlis Vērdiņš (born 28 July 1979) is a Latvian poet. Biography Vērdiņš grew up in Jelgava. He studied for his B.A. and M.A. in Cultural Theory at the Latvian Academy of Culture. In 2009 he received his Ph.D. in Philology from the Uni ...

. ''Come to Me''. Todmorden: Arc Publications, 2015. *

Aleksandrs Čaks Aleksandrs Čaks (born Aleksandrs Čadarainis; 27 October 1901 – 8 February 1950), was a Latvian poet and writer. Čaks is arguably the first Latvian writer whose works are distinctly urban, compared to the usual depictions of country life or ...

. ''Touched by Eternity''. Rīga: Jumava, 2017. *

Pauls Bankovskis Pauls may refer to: *Pauls (given name) * Pauls (surname) *Pauls (dairy), Australian dairy brand name * Paüls, municipality in Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain See also * Paul (disambiguation) Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given ...

. ''18''. Vagabond Voices, 2017. *

Inga Gaile Inga Gaile (born 29 June 1976, in Riga, Latvia) is a Latvian poet, novelist, and playwright. Biography Gaile has written poetry collections for adults and children. Her works often focus on feminist issues as well as issues related to different ...

. ''30 Questions People Don't Ask''. Warrensburg, MO: Pleiades Press, 2018. *

. ''Selected Poems''. Bristol: Shearsman Books, 2019.

Translations into Latvian

Therese Anne Fowler Therese Anne Fowler (born April 22, 1967) is a contemporary American author. She is best known for '' Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald'', published in 2013. The work has been adapted for television by Killer Films and Amazon Studios, with Christina ...

. '' Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald'' (Z – romāns par Zeldu Ficdžeraldu). Rīga: Zvaigzne ABC, 2016. * James Breslin. ''Mark Rothko: A Biography'' (Marks Rotko: biogrāfija). Rīga: Jumava, 2014. * Mike Collier. ''The Fourth Largest in Latvia'' (Ceturtais lielākais Latvijā). Rīga: Mansards, 2014. * Timothy D. Snyder. ''Bloodlands'' (Asinszemes). Rīga: Jumava, 2013. *

Toni Morrison Chloe Anthony Wofford Morrison (born Chloe Ardelia Wofford; February 18, 1931 – August 5, 2019), known as Toni Morrison, was an American novelist and editor. Her first novel, ''The Bluest Eye'', was published in 1970. The critically accl ...

. ''A Mercy'' (Žēlastība). Rīga: Zvaigzne ABC, 2012. * John Cornwell. ''A Pontiff in Winter'' (Pāvests ziemā). Rīga: Atēna, 2008. * Toni Morrison. ''Beloved'' (Mīļotā). Rīga: Zvaigzne ABC, 2006. *

Jhumpa Lahiri Nilanjana Sudeshna "Jhumpa" LahiriMinzesheimer, Bob, ''USA Today'', August 19, 2003. Retrieved on 2008-04-13. (born July 11, 1967) is a British-American author known for her short stories, novels, and essays in English and, more recently, in I ...

. ''The Namesake'' (Vārdabrālis). Rīga: Atēna, 2005. *

John Irving John Winslow Irving (born John Wallace Blunt Jr.; March 2, 1942) is an American and Canadian novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. Irving achieved critical and popular acclaim after the international success of his fourth novel '' Th ...

. ''The Cider House Rules'' (Sidra nama likumi). Rīga: Jumava, 2004. * David Lodge. ''Small World'' (Mazā pasaule). Rīga: Jāņa Rozes apgāds, 2003. *

Bret Easton Ellis Bret Easton Ellis (born March 7, 1964) is an American author and screenwriter. Ellis was one of the literary Brat Pack (literary), Brat Pack and is a self-proclaimed satirist whose trademark technique as a writer is the expression of extreme acts ...

. ''American Psycho'' (Amerikāņu psihs). Rīga: Jumava, 2003. *

Modris Eksteins Modris Eksteins (; born December 13, 1943) is a Latvian Canadian historian with a special interest in German history and modern culture. Born in Riga, Latvia, his works include ''Rites of Spring: The Great War and the Birth of the Modern Age'' (1 ...

. ''Walking Since Daybreak'' (Ceļā kopš rītausmas). Rīga: Atēna, 2002.

References

1958 births Living people Writers from Riga Latvian translators 21st-century translators English–Latvian translators Latvian–English translators Women philologists Latvian philologists {{Latvia-translator-stub