"Beehive" ("Strops") is Ivars Šteinbergs’ first collection of poetry.
Šteinbergs is equally good at verse, creating unusual combinations of images, as well as at the narration characteristic of prose poetry. The author is a skilful stylist: some texts are created in the manner of other authors, as well as he has cleverly played upon academic discourse. The intonation of Šteinbergs’ poems fluctuates between ironic and serious; in terms of content, the author focuses mainly on the themes of life and death and everyday idiosyncrasy. The result is a collection that strongly complements the output of young Latvian poets.
Artis Ostups, editor
Ivars Šteinbergs, born in 1991, is a Latvian poet, translator of poetry, and a journalist. Since 2012, he has been writing poems, translating and interviewing writers for various outlets – online platforms and literary magazines. In 2017, he received a Fulbright Scholarship to study Comparative Literature in the State University of New York at Binghamton.