Janis Jonevs: The Author and His Book on the Chaos and Soundtrack of the 90s (Video)

“I am Janis Jonevs. My book is called Jelgava 94. It’s about teenagers. And, at the time, our country was a teenager too.”

Set in the mid-1990s, Jelgava 94 dives into the world of Latvian teenagers who are drawn into the subculture of heavy metal. It's a story about rebellion, about not fitting in, about being misunderstood. In Jonevs' words, they are “idiots who’ve gone out against the whole world.”

“After the book came out, I realized how many people in Latvia had gone through the same experience. The novel became a kind of collective memoir of growing up, of maturing, of forming an identity. Things that once seemed vital begin to fade, replaced by new truths — and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Though the book feels deeply personal, the author clarifies that it is not an autobiography. While the protagonist shares his name, and many scenes are inspired by true events, Jonevs calls it a fictional autobiography.

“At the start of the book, I note that all the events are based on real experiences. But I’ve condensed them, changed them. It’s a literary debut — and unexpectedly, a very successful one. People still assume it’s entirely autobiographical.”

Jonevs warns readers that while the novel may appear melancholic at first glance, it is laced with humor and irony. The story, he says, is not sad — it’s about adolescence, with all its contradictions, noise, and transformation.

Unlike the author, the characters in Jelgava 94 are disinterested in politics. For them, the outside world barely exists. Instead, the book is a reflection on uncertainty, a portrait of a generation growing up in post-Soviet Latvia, where chaos was seen as freedom.

“Nothing was forbidden. Nothing inspired or excited people. The country was in a strange limbo — and that confusion echoed in the inner world of my characters.”

Jonevs believes that someone must eventually write about Latvia’s turbulent period of revival — about the mystery and the meaning of that era. But perhaps, he adds, more time still needs to pass.

“I hope this book will be translated into many languages. Because what happened in Jelgava didn’t happen only in Latvia. This is a story that speaks to the shared experience of growing up in uncertain times.”