Abstract
In the USSR-reoccupied Latvia (1944−1990), almost all the Latvian literature, published abroad after World War II, was forbidden to the general public. There were only two incomplete and restricted collections of emigration literature, available to prominent scientists and highest Soviet officials. As the Soviet censorship weakened in the late 1980s, libraries could begin start a systematic acquisition of exile books and some periodicals. The donation of the whole library of the Uppsala Latvian society to the State Library of Latvia (now the National Library of Latvia) in 1989, before the renewal of Latvia’s independence, started the flow of emigration books, documents, and artefacts to the memory institutions of Latvia, where the most important cultural heritage from the Latvian exile has found its home. Using the documents of the Uppsala Latvian Society kept at the National Archives of Latvia, the National Library of Latvia, and the Academic Library of the University of Latvia, the history of the library and the importance of its donation in the accumulation of exile cultural heritage in Latvia has been characterized.
 The study shows that despite the library manager’s efforts to provide readers with the best emigrant Latvian literature, the library collection in exile was not properly valued − its readership gradually decreased as Latvians became more and more integrated into Swedish society. After the transfer to Latvia, the library became the basis of the of the unified collection of Latvian literature, in which exile publications are constantly utilised as an important part of the national cultural heritage.
Highlights
Using the documents of the Uppsala Latvian Society kept at the National Archives of Latvia, the National Library of Latvia, and the Academic Library of the University of Latvia, the history of the library and the importance of its donation in the accumulation of exile cultural heritage in Latvia has been characterized
During its re-occupation by the Soviet Union (1944−1990), Latvia was drawn into the Cold War, a confrontation between the USSR and the United States and its allies, which resulted in the division of the nation, territorially and in terms of access to information
The Uppsala Latvian Library – a large collection of about 900 printed items compiled in Sweden over 30 years, which was received by the Latvian State Library in 1989, half a year before the restoration of independence, became one of the cornerstones of the bridge re-uniting the Latvian nation
Summary
During its re-occupation by the Soviet Union (1944−1990), Latvia was drawn into the Cold War, a confrontation between the USSR and the United States and its allies, which resulted in the division of the nation, territorially and in terms of access to information. Latvians living in the socalled capitalist countries were able to enjoy freedom of expression, but they had limited access to objective information on the situation in Latvia, as the Soviet security services[1] strictly controlled the media sent abroad. From abroad were secretly examined (perlustrated) at a postal censorship point to remove literature “harmful” to the Soviet regime, unless recipients had certain privileges allowing them to receive it.[2] Most of the exile books and press sent to Latvia were destroyed as “anti-Soviet” information, an insignificant number of copies being kept for counter-propaganda and research purposes.[3].
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