Ojars Vacietis is generally considered one of Latvia's most talented poets of the second half of the twentieth century. He almost single-handedly revived interest in poetry in Latvia following World War II and played a key role in maintaining the vitality of the genre during the decades of Soviet occupation.

Ojars Vacietis was born on 13 November 1933 in the northeastern county of Trapene to farm workers Oto Vacietis and Berta Vacietis. He acquired at an early age a maturity and self-sufficiency that allowed him to take care of himself as well as his younger brother, Imants. His father's stern and highly principled personality left a profound impression on him and probably accounts for the antagonism he manifested toward both of the great powers-Germany and the Soviet Union-whose struggle enveloped his country. World War II, which robbed his generation of its childhood, left an indelible mark on his psyche and...