Laikmetīguma konstrukcija/dekonstrukcija mūsdienu latviešu kultūrā

Contemporary poetry, contemporary theatre, design, art and other cultural formations are widely used terms for expressing what is happening and what should happen in the creative field. The concept of contemporaneity characterises some vaguely guessed adaptation to the current state of the social ecosystem. Academic research sometimes replaces contemporary (German – zeitgenössisch, zeitgemäβ, French – contemporain) due to its rather vague meaning with concepts of modern and modernity, which are historically more clearly dated. Despite the uncertainty of meaning, the adaptation of a literary work to the present should be recognised as a natural part of the social ecosystem and its development. The adaptation of the writer and literary work usually takes place through a “re-evaluation of values” (Nietzsche) and a “sharp-eyed observation” (Agamben). According to the case study method, the article analyses Latvian poet Rainis’s (1865–1929) identity construction and deconstruction (Derrida) in the leading Latvian theatres, which has intensified due to the celebration of the poet’s 150th anniversary in 2015. Two interrelated tendencies of re-storying have been seen: “going off the podium” and the narrativisation of the poet’s private life and biography. The theatre performances of 2023 – the joint work of the playwright Justīne Kļava and director Elmārs Seņkovs “Play, dance” (Spēlēju, dancoju) at the National Theatre and “Spīdola’s Night” (Spīdolas nakts) by Matīss Gricmanis and Viesturs Kairišs at the Daile Theatre – confirms the continuation of both trends. An explanation has been sought as to why this story and re-storying of Rainis dramaturgy prevails. On the one hand, this is explained by the incomplete analysis of Soviet ideologisation and the absence of a full-fledged re-storying of Rainis’s interpretation. Instead of a critical reestimation of the Soviet heritage, there is an indiscriminate takeover and continuation of this heritage. On the other hand, in the era of digitisation, with the wide availability of social platforms and communication technologies and the canons of popular culture, the contemporary demand for Rainis’s privacy and biography prevails. Modern identity is accustomed to biographies of eminent people and celebrities with sensational revelations of privacy. Under the influence of two circumstances, Rainis as a human being is mainly constructed, along with the ignorance of his ideas or their denial and non-acceptance. These and other similar contemporary constructions/deconstructions replace Rainis’s mastery of philosophical ideas and intellectual reflection. However, there are also new trends – the reading of “Words of Snakes” (Čūsku vārdi) at the Daile Theatre and the drama “Joseph and His Brothers” (Jāzeps un viņa brāļi), staged at the Valmiera Theatre –, interpret Rainis’ intellectual reflection on universal human life experiences, contradictory dialectics of selfhood, philosophy of process and other ideas.