Alternatīvā lasīšanas kultūra Latvijas PSR 20. gadsimta 50. gados pēc Kaspara Aleksandra Irbes dienasgrāmatas

The study focuses on the diary entries of a Latvian homosexual man, Kaspars Aleksandrs Irbe (1906–1996), from the Stalinist and Khrushchev’s Thaw period in the 1950s, which are dedicated to one of the descriptive aspects of the cultural environment – the book. Rich in facts and details, these notes provide insight into the reading habits of the time while also helping to evaluate the availability of books in bookstores and second-hand book shops. The article aims to apply the methodolog of a queer eye to explore the opportunities to Irbe to access literature that was not saturated with Soviet ideology and could aid in the creation of an independent spiritual space, thus laying the foundation for individual survival strategies. Irbe’s writings reveal an escape into the worlds created in books, allowing a temporary distraction from Soviet reality. While narrating the experience of escapism, the author simultaneously contextualizes the availability of various authors, types, and genres of literature during a time when censorship and different organizations of security seemingly sought to eliminate even the slightest opportunity for ideological diversity.