Honouring the upcoming Latvia’s Centenary Janis Roze Publishers has released an updated edition of the book Brother Oak, Sister Linden by Jānis Baltvilks and Edgars Folks. Its first edition dates back to 1985 (Publishing house Liesma). The book focuses on Latvia’s natural resources – trees – and creative heritage of two legendary figures, the author and the artist.
Jānis Baltvilks (1944–2003) was a biologist, an ornithologist, a writer, a poet, an editor of children’s magazine Zīlīte for many years and an author of several children’s books. His literary achievements were recognised by the Ojārs Vācietis Award in 1988 and the Annual Awars in Literature in 2002. In 200 an annual award for the best childrens’ literature and book illustration was established in his name.
Edgars Folks (1951) works in painting, graphic arts, poster art and graphic design. He has illustrated more than 100 books. The most attractive aspect of his nature paintings is the elements of the unnatural and the surreal. There is no gentle tenderness or sentimentality in his illustrations filled with fine, sparkling details and self-consious characters who seem to be looking directly at us.
The book is a good source of reference – information about the most common tree species of Latvia is told in an intelligible way. Illustrations are full of details and one can follow the story through visual images as well. Also, each chapter starts with a corresponding Latvian folksong.
Text by Jānis Baltvilks. Illustrations by Edgars Folks. Introduction by Vents Zvaigzne. Translated from the Latvian by Ilze Kreišmane. Design by Tomass Folks.
