Literature of Latvia
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Latvian literature began in a significant way in the 19th century.


Overview


Early Latvian literature

Before there was a written Latvian language, traditions were passed along in folk songs that are still preserved. Before the 19th century, a few authors had started writing poetry and prose (the most important being
Gotthard Friedrich Stender Gotthard Friedrich Stender ( lv, Gothards Frīdrihs Stenders or ''Ģederts Fridriks Štenders''; 1714–1796), also called Old Stender (''Vecais Stenders''), was a Baltic German Lutheran parson who played an outstanding role in Latvia's history of ...
). But Latvian literature can be said to have really started only in the nineteenth century, with the book Songs by Juris Alunans, where he wanted to show that deep and noble feelings can also be expressed in Latvian, which the
Baltic-German Baltic Germans (german: Deutsch-Balten or , later ) were Germans, ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since their coerced resettlement in 1939, Baltic Germans have markedly ...
Barons regarded as a peasant tongue. This volume of poetry was published in 1856, the same year as Charles Baudelaire's ''Les Fleurs du Mal'', the starting point of European modernism in poetry. The national epic,
Lāčplēsis ''Lāčplēsis'' ("The Bear-Slayer") is an epic poem by Andrejs Pumpurs, a Latvian poet, who wrote it between 1872 and 1887 based on local legends. It's set during the Livonian Crusades telling the story of the mythical hero Lāčplēsis "th ...
, published in 1888 was written by
Andrejs Pumpurs Andrejs Pumpurs ( on the left bank of the Daugava, in Lieljumprava civil parish, now Birzgale Parish – in Riga) was a poet who penned the Latvian epic Lāčplēsis (''The Bear Slayer'', first published in 1888) and a prominent figure in the ...
. In the beginning of the 20th century, mainly through the many German and Russian connections, Latvian literature had diverging movements of symbolism, decadence, and politically – socialism, Marxism, these movements went underground after the defeat of the largest national Latvian uprising the
1905 revolution The Russian Revolution of 1905,. also known as the First Russian Revolution,. occurred on 22 January 1905, and was a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire. The mass unrest was directed again ...
– and the revenge from the tsarist regime was severe, leading to the first emigration of intellectuals from Latvia. Rainis was a poet,
playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
, translator, and politician at the turn of the century; his classic plays ''"Fire and Night"'' (, 1905) and ''"Indulis and Ārija"'' (, 1911) had a profound influence on the literary Latvian language, and the ethnic symbolism he employed in his major works has been central to Latvian nationalism. Rainis was the first to formulate the idea that Latvia could be, not a part of a more democratic Russian Empire – but a sovereign state. He married Aspazija, also a writer, active in the feminist movement. They were exiled to inner Russia from 1897–1903, and lived in
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
from 1905–1920. When they returned to an independent Latvia after World War I, Aspazija also joined the Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party, and was a member of all sessions of
Parliament of Latvia The Saeima () is the parliament of the Republic of Latvia. It is a unicameral parliament consisting of 100 members who are elected by proportional representation, with seats allocated to political parties which gain at least 5% of the popular vo ...
from 1920 to 1934. A writer who similarly to Rainis sought new ways for Latvian literature was Viktors Eglītis. He was influenced by Russian symbolism and came to represent the decadent movement in Latvia. In the early 20th century he aggressively introduced modernist poetics in the country. Later he turned to patriotic historical fiction.


Literature in independent Latvia

In 1918 with the beginning of first period of Independence, there was an amazing activity of modernistic Literature and Arts. Aleksandrs Čaks (real name Čadarainis) glorified the capital city of
Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...
and its outskirts, romanticizing the everyday side of life, writing of poverty and prostitutes in poetry, which was previously not done. He also wrote an epic poem, ''"Mūžības Skartie"'', dedicated to the Latvian riflemen. In 1949, when Latvia was part of the Soviet Union, Čaks was accused of writing politically incorrect works: the attacks weakened his health, and he died of heart disease on February 8, 1950.
Eriks Ādamsons Eriks Ādamsons (22 June 1907 – 28 February 1946) was a Latvian writer, poet and novelist. Biography Eriks Ādamsons was born in Riga on 22 June 1907. In 1926 he started law studies in Latvian University. He made his first publication in 1 ...
and Vilis Cedriņš, were just beginning to publish at the time of the German takeover. At this time many Latvian writers went into exile, such as
Linards Tauns Linards Tauns (born Arnolds Mikus Bērzs-Bērziņš) (October 13, 1922 – July 30, 1963) was a Latvian writer. He was one of the immigrant artists who formed the Hell's Kitchen school of art among Latvian immigrants in New York City. Biogr ...
, Gunārs Saliņš, Jānis Sodums, Alfreds Dziļums, Andrejs Eglītis, Velta Sniķere, Gunārs Janovskis.
Agate Nesaule Agate Nesaule (January 23, 1938 – June 29, 2022) was a Latvian-born American writer and professor of English on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater. Her 1995 memoir ''A Woman in Amber'' won the American Book Award from the ...
wrote of her experiences during this emigration. Among those who were in exile and returned to their homeland after it became independent in 1991 are poets
Astrid Ivask Astrid Ivask (born Astrīde Helēna Hartmane; August 7, 1926 – March 24, 2015) was a Latvian-American poet. Biography She was born Astrīde Helēna Hartmane in Riga, the daughter of Mārtiņš Hartmanis, a Latvian Army General, and Irma Mari ...
, Margarita Gūtmane, Roberts Muks, Andrejs Eglītis, Jānis Sodums.


Latvian Literature after Second World War

After World War II Latvian literary activity was split into three parts – those writers still in Latvia, those in the
Gulags The Gulag, an acronym for , , "chief administration of the camps". The original name given to the system of camps controlled by the GPU was the Main Administration of Corrective Labor Camps (, )., name=, group= was the government agency in ...
(after two mass-deportations in 1941 and 1949) and writers who had fled to the West. After World War II, for some years the centre of Latvian Literature was
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
. In the mid 1950s two important things happened: young Latvian exile writers started to publish their works in
Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
, London,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
– the NY Hell's Kitchen group became the leading one, and secondly, in the Soviet union Nikita Khrushchev revealed the
Stalinist Stalinism is the means of governing and Marxist-Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union from 1927 to 1953 by Joseph Stalin. It included the creation of a one-party totalitarian police state, rapid industrialization, the theory o ...
-era crimes against humanity at the 20 th congress of the Communist Party in 1956. In literature this led to the so-called 56 generation, and in Latvia there were notable representatives:
Ojārs Vācietis Ojārs Vācietis (born November 13, 1933 — November 28, 1983) was a Latvian writer and poet. He is often considered one of the most famous and influential poets in the Latvian SSR. Biography Ojārs Vācietis was born on November 13, 1933 i ...
, Imants Ziedonis and Vizma Belševica. Valentīns Jākobsons and
Knuts Skujenieks Knuts Skujenieks (5 September 1936 – 25 July 2022) was a Latvian poet, journalist, and translator from fifteen European languages. He spent his childhood near Bauska in Zemgale. Skujenieks later studied at University of Latvia in Riga and at ...
had been sent to labor camps in Siberia, and were among those who survived to return and write about their experience, along with Sandra Kalniete, who was born in a Siberian labor camp to Latvian parents and became Latvian Foreign Affairs Minister in 2002. Poets who remained and published in Soviet-controlled Latvia included Vizma Belševica, Imants Ziedonis,
Ojārs Vācietis Ojārs Vācietis (born November 13, 1933 — November 28, 1983) was a Latvian writer and poet. He is often considered one of the most famous and influential poets in the Latvian SSR. Biography Ojārs Vācietis was born on November 13, 1933 i ...
,
Māris Čaklais Māris Čaklais (16 June 1940 – 13 December 2003) was a Latvian poet, writer, and journalist. Biography Čaklais studied journalism at the University of Latvia until 1964; his first publications appeared in 1960. He translated to Latvian B ...
; novelists Zigmunds Skujiņš,
Regīna Ezera Regīna Ezera, the pen name of Regīna Šamreto (20 December 1930 – 11 June 2002), was a successful Latvian author of Polish origin who wrote more than 20 novels. A recipient of the Order of the Three Stars, she suffered financially as a result ...
, Alberts Bels; and a younger generation who grew up during those times, such as poets
Klāvs Elsbergs Klāvs Elsbergs (January 3, 1959 – February 5, 1987) was a Latvian poet and translator. He was the son of Latvian poet Vizma Belševica. Biography Klāvs Elsbergs was born in Riga. His parents were Latvian poet Vizma Belševica and tran ...
(son of Vizma Belševica),
Uldis Bērziņš Uldis Bērziņš (17 May 1944 – 24 March 2021) was a Latvian poet and translator. Biography He studied Latvian philology at the University of Latvia and published his first collection of poetry in 1980. Bērziņš studied Turkish in Leningrad ...
, Amanda Aizpuriete, Pēters Brūveris, Anna Auziņa,
Knuts Skujenieks Knuts Skujenieks (5 September 1936 – 25 July 2022) was a Latvian poet, journalist, and translator from fifteen European languages. He spent his childhood near Bauska in Zemgale. Skujenieks later studied at University of Latvia in Riga and at ...
,
Māris Melgalvs Māris is a Latvian masculine given name, a cognate of the English Maurice and may refer to: * Māris Ārbergs (born 1962), Latvian politician * Māris Bogdanovičs (born 1991), Latvian cyclist * Māris Bičevskis (born 1991), Latvian ice hockey ...
.
Māra Zālīte Māra Zālīte (born 18 February 1952 in Krasnoyarsk) is a Latvian writer and cultural worker. Zālīte's literary works include poetry, essays, plays, drama, prose and librettos. They often deal with historical problems and have symbolic mean ...
, who once wrote poetry, has written musicals for the past years. Latgalian writers include Jānis Klīdzējs, Anna Rancāne, Oskars Seiksts, Valentīns Lukaševičs, Ingrida Tārauda, Laima Muktupāvela and others. Recently the new writers have been writing in two and three languages, with texts in Russian or English appearing alongside texts in the Latvian or Latgalian literary languages. Every year the latest Latgalian is published in a Latgalian Literary almanac. Since 1990 books written in the Latgalian literary language have been published mainly by the Publishing House of the Culture Centre of
Latgale Latgale ( ltg, Latgola; ; ger, Lettgallen; be, Латгалія, Łathalija; pl, Łatgalia; la, Lettgallia), also known as Latgalia is one of the Historical Latvian Lands. It is the easternmost region and is north of the Daugava River. While m ...
, run by Jānis Elksnis (Rēzekne). First-generation children born to Latvian parents in exile who became writers include Sven Birkerts, poet
Juris Kronbergs Juris Kronbergs (9 August 1946 – 6 July 2020) was a Latvian-Sweden, Swedish poet and Translation, translator who lived in Stockholm. In Latvia, he is best known for his poetry, written in Latvian. His most acknowledged book is ''Vilks vi ...
and Margita Gūtmane.


Since 1991

The youngest generation of Latvian writers includes
Inga Ābele Inga Ābele (born 1972 in Riga) is a Latvian writer. Ābele has written three novels and three short story collections, and is active as a playwright, poet and writer of plain prose. She is a member of the Latvian Writers Union. She has been awar ...
, poet, novelist and playwright; poets Edvīns Raups, Andris Akmentiņš, Pēteris Draguns, Eduards Aivars, Liana Langa, Anna Auziņa,
Kārlis Vērdiņš Kārlis Vērdiņš (born July 28, 1979 in Riga) is a Latvian poet. Biography Vērdiņš grew up in Jelgava. He studied for his B.A. and M.A. in Cultural Theory at the Latvian Academy of Culture. In 2009 he received his Ph.D. in Philology fro ...
, Marts Pujāts and
Inga Gaile Inga Gaile (born 29 June 1976, in Riga, Latvia) is a Latvian poet, novelist, and playwright. Biography Gaile has written poetry collections for adults and children. Her works often focus on feminist issues as well as issues related to different ...
; prose writers include
Pauls Bankovskis Pauls may refer to: *Pauls (given name) *Pauls (surname) *Pauls (dairy), Australian dairy brand name *Paüls, municipality in Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain See also * Paul (disambiguation) * Pauls Agriculture * Pauls Valley Pauls Valley is a cit ...
, Jānis Einfelds,
Gundega Repše Gundega Repše (born 13 January 1960, Riga) is a Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō ...
,
Andra Neiburga Andra Neiburga (16 January 1957 – 2 March 2019) was a Latvian writer and translator who was best known for her short stories. Biography Andra Neiburga was born on 16 January 1957 in Riga. She studied at Riga Secondary School No. 5 (1964-1973) ...
, Laima Muktupāvela,
Kristīne Ulberga Kristīne Ulberga (born 1979) is a Latvian novelist and a winner of the Latvian Literature Annual Award (2013). Biography Kristīne Ulberga was born in Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia an ...
and
Nora Ikstena Nora Ikstena (born 15 October 1969) is a Latvian writer and cultural manager. She was born in Riga and studied philology and English language and literature at the University of Latvia. After a subsequent period of residence in New York City for ...
. The Latvian Literature Center was founded in 2002 to foster international recognition of and access to Latvian fiction, poetry, plays and children's literature. After 2015, its functions were overtaken by the "Latvian Literature" platform.


References


Notes


Sources

*Ruth Spiers. "Latvian Literature". Anthony Thorlby (ed).
The Penguin Companion to Literature ''The Penguin Companion to Literature'' is a reference work published in four volumes by Penguin Books. Volume 1 was edited by David Daiches and deals with British and Commonwealth literature. It has been called the most useful recent work of its ...
. Penguin Books. 1969. Volume 2 (European Literature). Pages 461 and 462. *"Latvian literature" in Chris Murray (ed). The Hutchinson Dictionary of the Arts. Helicon Publishing Limited. 1994. Reprinted 1997. . Page 299. *Jānis Andrups and Vitauts Kalve. Translated by Ruth Spiers. ''Latvian Literature''. M Goppers. Stockholm. 1954. Google Books
HathiTrust
*Rolfs Ekmanis. Latvian Literature under the Soviets, 1940-1975. Nordland Publishing Company. Belmont, Massachusetts. 1978
Google Books
*Aleksis Rubulis (ed). Latvian Literature. Daugavas Vanags. Toronto. 1964
Google Books


External links




platform Latvian Literature

All 11 issues (1960–1965) of “Zintis – The Quarterly American Latvian Magazine for Art, Literature and Science”
presented by the
Latvian National Library The National Library of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Nacionālā bibliotēka) is a national cultural institution under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture of Latvia. Its current main building is known as the Castle of Light ( lv, Gaismas pils) ...
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