The Rumble

Publicity information
Inga Ābele's novel "Duna" ("The Rumble") tells a story about the year 1949 in Rīga, Sēlija and Latgale. It is a story about physical and mental effects of war on human consciousness, and about the birth of a new political system. "Rīga race track, thoroughbred racing horses, Soviet bureaucracy in the horse-breeding industry, the watchful eye of Cheka, people coming to terms with the might of the new system, and people who naively believe in common sense and humanity", researcher at the National Theatre, Ieva Struka, shares her insights about the book. The novel also attempts to answer the question whether a man can influence his fate, or life is just the result of a sequence of random events: "History as fatality, human life as a secret unravelled rather by the rumble of the River Daugava, the rumble of hooves at the crossroads of historical circumstances, than the choices of concrete people and epiphanies of characters. The sharp eyesight of the beholder sees the marvellously beautiful world in which each day must be learnt in its primary nature at the same time reaching for the reins covered by the straws of causation," explains writer Gundega Repše, the author of the idea behind the historical novel series.

Source: latvianliterature.lv