Arnis Skujins was born in Kalsnava, Latvia. A speaker of English and German, he studied Architecture at the University of Latvia from 1938 to 1944. He began writing and publishing humorous short sketches as a teenager. His story, Kada Vasara ('A Summer'), received a prize from the Ministry of Education and was included in an anthology published in 1940.
Skujins's first job in Australia was with the Water Board, digging canal trenches. Later, he worked as a technical designer while studying to obtain Australian qualifications in Architecture. Having completed his studies, he worked as an architect in Newcastle. He has presented programs and had his work read on the Latvian language program of Radio 2EA. Between 1984 and 1991 he read at Latvian cultural festivals, writers' conventions and other cultural gatherings in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra and Newcastle.
