Big ideas, big projects, big men? Translation, encyclopaedias and patronage

On 7–8 December, 2023, an international scientific conference "Publishing and the Nation" was held at the National Library of Latvia. The conference was part of the "Latvian Book 500" series and was dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the prominent publisher Ansis Gulbis (1873–1936). It stimulated discussion on book publishing as a cornerstone of a nation's culture, focusing on the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when the establishment of professional book publishing in the Baltic Sea region nations began.
www.gramatai500.lv/en/post/confere…-and-the-nation
Discussion moderated by Gustavs Strenga, Senior Researcher, NLL
Participants:
Eva Eglāja-Kristsone, Director of the Institute of the Latvian Literature, Folklore and Art of the University of Latvia
Toms Ķikuts, Deputy Director for Research, Latvian National History Museum
Benedikts Kalnačs Senior Researcher, Institute of Latvian Literature, Folklore and Art of the University of Latvia

The conference was organised by the National Library of Latvia within the framework of the series of events "Latvian Book 500" with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia and the State Culture Capital Foundation.