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Andrejs Pumpurs ( on the left bank of the
Daugava The Daugava ( ), also known as the Western Dvina or the Väina River, is a large river rising in the Valdai Hills of Russia that flows through Belarus and Latvia into the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea. The Daugava rises close to the source of ...
, in Lieljumprava civil parish, now
Birzgale Parish Birzgale Parish () is an administrative territorial entity of the Ogre Municipality, Latvia. The entire parish is on the left bank of the Daugava, in the region of Semigallia. The parish borders with Tome Parish, Vecumnieki Municipality Vecum ...
– in
Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...
) was a
poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
who penned the Latvian epic Lāčplēsis (''The Bear Slayer'', first published in 1888) and a prominent figure in the Young Latvia movement. Working in the land before volunteering to fight in Serbia against the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
in 1876, he became a loyal officer in the Russian army and also a staunch promoter of the Latvian culture.


Biography

Growing up on both banks of the
Daugava The Daugava ( ), also known as the Western Dvina or the Väina River, is a large river rising in the Valdai Hills of Russia that flows through Belarus and Latvia into the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea. The Daugava rises close to the source of ...
river, he was one of three children from the civil parish chosen by the
Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
minister for the
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
class of the church school in
Lielvārde Lielvārde (; ), population 5885, is a town in Ogre Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia, on the right bank of the Daugava river, 52 km southeast of Riga. History The area was a contact zone between the Finnic Livonians and the Balt ...
. Unable to continue his education after completion of the three-year course, due to his family's poverty, but working as a raftsman and doing odd jobs with his father, Pumpurs was exposed to the Latvian oral tradition, especially strong in the region of his birth, and to the legends that would be at the forefront of his works. His first poems and early sketches for the epic were written in Piebalga, a rural center of Latvian education and cultural life, between 1867 and 1872. After a brief period in Riga, he left for
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
in 1876 and was introduced to the Slavophile
Ivan Aksakov Ivan Sergeyevich Aksakov (; , village Nadezhdino, Belebeyevsky Uyezd, Orenburg Governorate – , Moscow) was a Russian littérateur and notable Slavophile. Biography Aksakov was born in the village of Nadezhdino (then Orenburg Governorate, no ...
and the editor
Mikhail Katkov Mikhail Nikiforovich Katkov (; 13 February 1818 – 1 August 1887) was a conservative Russian journalist influential during the reign of tsar Alexander III. He was a proponent of Russian nationalism, an important figure in the creation of a fee ...
by Fricis Brīvzemnieks (Treuland). Pumpurs became the third Latvian to volunteer to fight with the
Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of Serbia, history, and Serbian lan ...
and their
Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...
allies against the Turks, his experiences in
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
strongly influencing his already fervent
nationalism Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, I ...
. His military career took him to
Sevastopol Sevastopol ( ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city's harbours, Sevastopol has been an important port and naval base th ...
and he received an officer's education in
Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...
. In 1882 he returned to the
Governorate of Livonia The Governorate of Livonia, also known as the Livonia Governorate, was a province (''guberniya'') and one of the Baltic governorates of the Russian Empire, Baltic Governorate-General until 1876. Governorate of Livonia bordered Governorate of E ...
in what became the Ust-Dvinsk Regiment, participating in secret meetings of the
Narodnaya Volya Narodnaya Volya () was a late 19th-century revolutionary socialist political organization operating in the Russian Empire, which conducted assassinations of government officials in an attempt to overthrow the autocratic Tsarist system. The org ...
movement. From 1895 he worked for the
quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land army, armies, a quartermaster is an officer who supervises military logistics, logistics and requisitions, manages stores or barracks, and distri ...
in Dvinsk (now
Daugavpils Daugavpils (see also other names) is a state city in southeastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city derives its name. The parts of the city to the north of the river belong to the historical Latvian region ...
), traveling widely to supply the Russian army, until he died of
rheumatism Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including a ...
after a trip to
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. File:Andrejs Pumpurs bust in Daugavpils2.JPG, Memorial in
Daugavpils Daugavpils (see also other names) is a state city in southeastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city derives its name. The parts of the city to the north of the river belong to the historical Latvian region ...


References

*Vikors Hausmanis, ed.: ''Latviešu rakstniecība biogrāfijās.'' Rīga: LZA, 1992. *Anita Rožkalne, project manager: ''Latviešu rakstniecība biogrāfijās.'' Second revised and expanded edition. Rīga: Zinātne, 2003. *Teodors Zeiferts: ''Latviešu rakstniecības vēsture.'' Rīga: 1922—available a
the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory of the University of Latvia website
*Arveds Švābe: ''Latvijas vēsture 1800–1914''. Uppsala: Daugava, 1958. *Arveds Švābe, ed.: ''Latvju enciklopēdija''. Stockholm: Trīs Zvaigznes, 1952–1953.


External links

* * *
A translation of ''Lāčplēsis'' into English by Arthur Cropley
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pumpurs, Andrejs 1841 births 1902 deaths People from Ogre Municipality People from Riga county 19th-century Latvian poets Male poets from the Russian Empire Russian male poets 19th-century writers from the Russian Empire Latvian people from the Russian Empire 19th-century poets from the Russian Empire 19th-century male writers from the Russian Empire Latvian male poets Imperial Russian Army officers Russian military personnel of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (House of Romanov)