''Karogs'' ( Latvian: ''The flag'') was a monthly literary magazine which was published in Latvia in the period between 1940 and 2010. Published by the Soviet Latvian Writers’ Union during the Communist period it was a semi-official publication.

History and profile

''Karogs'' was launched as a monthly publication in 1940 just after the

occupation of Latvia Latvia has been occupied by military forces from other nations from time to time. Military occupations of Latvia have included: * Livonian Crusade (13th century) * Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940 * Occupation of Latvia by Nazi Germany (1941� ...

by the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. The first issue appeared in September 1940. Its publisher was the Soviet Latvian Writers’ Union. The magazine did not only featured articles on literature, but also on art, and socio-politics. However, during the first five years it focused only on literature and was the sole literary publication in Soviet Latvia. From its start in 1940 to the late 1980s it was the supporter of the Communist regime featuring the Soviet literary work. The magazine strictly followed the slogan of the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...

: "Art has only one goal: the building of Communism." ''Karogs'' was the first Latvian literary magazine which published the work by Latvian writer Ādolfs Erss in 1986. It folded in 2010.

Editors and contributors

The founding editor-in-chief of ''Karogs'' was

Andrejs Upīts Andrejs Upīts (4 December 1877, Skrīveri parish, Russian Empire – 17 November 1970, Riga, Latvian SSR) was a Latvian teacher, poet, short story writer. Career and literary activity Andrejs Upīts, while writing for the newspaper "Mājas vie ...

, and full list of its editors-in-chief is as follows: * Andrejs Upīts (1940–1941; 1945–1946) * Ignats Muižnieks (1946–1948) * Andrejs Balodis (1948–1963) * Kārlis Krauliņš (1964–1967) * Andris Vējāns (1967–1989) * Māra Zālīte,

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 B ...

, Ieva Kolmane (1989–2010) Under the editorship of Andrejs Upīts the editorial board members included

Vilis Lācis Vilis Lācis (May 12, 1904 – February 6, 1966) was a Latvian writer and communist politician. Lācis was born Jānis Vilhelms Lāce into a working-class family in Vecmīlgrāvis (now part of Riga). During World War I, his family fled to the ...

, Jūlijs Lācis, Arvīds Grigulis, Jānis Niedre, and Žanis Spure were the major contributors of ''Karogs''. In the 1960s Gunars Freimanis published several poems on environmental issues in the magazine. In its fiftieth anniversary issue dated September 1990 the magazine featured work by Rimants Ziedonis, Guntis Berelis, and Inguna Bekere and also, work by three American and one Russian writers.

Legacy

The State Archive of Latvia archived the issues of ''Karogs''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karogs 1940 establishments in Latvia 2010 disestablishments in Latvia Communist magazines Defunct magazines published in Latvia Eastern Bloc mass media Former state media Magazines established in 1940 Magazines disestablished in 2010 Mass media in Riga Magazines published in the Soviet Union Defunct literary magazines published in Europe Monthly magazines