Uldis Ģērmanis

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Uldis Ģērmanis
Born(1915-10-04)4 October 1915
University of Stockholm
Occupation(s)Writer, historian

Uldis Ģērmanis (4 October 1915 – 19 December 1997) was a

Latvian historian, writer and publicist born in Novaya Ladoga, Russian Empire. His father was Jānis Ģermanis, and his family returned to the newly independent Latvia in 1919.[1]

He taught history at the

University of Stockholm
.

Ģērmanis was, since 1935, a lifelong member of the Latvian

Bolshevik Revolution paved the way for further research on this subject by other Latvian émigré historians, notably the early works of Andrew Ezergailis
.

His book Zili stikli, zaļi ledi (Blue glass, green ice; 1968) describes his experience researching the story of Vācietis. Ģērmanis was one of the rare émigré Latvians allowed access to primary sources in the

Latvian SSR
at the time. In the book, he describes the suspicion he was met with by both the Soviet Latvian authorities, and by his fellow émigrés, who questioned his motives for researching the history of pro-Bolshevik Latvians.

In 1958, Ģērmanis living in exile completed "The Latvian Saga", which presents Latvian history, but reads like a novel. As the Latvian Embassy in the USA writes:

It describes the people, powers and events that made Latvia what it is today, and puts it all in a broader European context … it inspired several generations of Latvians to dedicate their lives to the restoration of Latvia's independence in 1991.[2]

In 2007, the eleventh edition was issued in an English version and the works of Ģērmanis are becoming increasingly popular in his native country as well.

His lecture in Toronto, in 1988, about "current events" in the Soviet Union, is considered by many to be the best analysis of the situation at the time.[citation needed]

Uldis Ģērmanis was elected a member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences in 1992 and awarded the Order of the Three Stars in 1995.[3]

Bibliography

References

  1. .
  2. ^ ""The Latvian Saga" by Uldis Germanis". Latvian Embassy. 2014-12-02. Archived from the original on 2022-05-17. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
  3. ^ "Triju Zvaigžņu ordenis" [Order of the Three Stars]. gramata21.lv (in Latvian). Archived from the original on 2011-08-21. Retrieved 2022-05-17.