AustLit

Teodors Tomsons was born in Valmiera, Latvia. A graduate of the State Conservatorium of Latvia in singing and piano, he later sang in the choir of the Latvian Opera and for radio. He fought in World War II, was wounded, and became a prisoner-of-war in Germany. In spite of his musical training, he has been better known as a poet. He published two collections of poetry before emigrating to Australia: Kara Zabakos [In Jackboots] in 1943 and Salta Elpa [Cold Breath] in 1947. A self-taught artist, he designed two of his books of poetry and the cover design for the third. Writing about art and artists, Tomsons also contributed articles to the Latvian language press.