Latvian literature
Encyclopedia
Early Latvian literature
Before there was a written Latvian language
Latvian language
Latvian is the official state language of Latvia. It is also sometimes referred to as Lettish. There are about 1.4 million native Latvian speakers in Latvia and about 150,000 abroad. The Latvian language has a relatively large number of non-native speakers, atypical for a small language...
, traditions were passed along in folk songs that are still preserved. Literature in Latvia is relatively new, having started in the nineteenth century.
The starting point of written Latvian Literature was the book Songs by Juris Alunans
Juris Alunāns
Juris Alunāns was a Latvian writer, philologist and one of the first contributors of Latvian language. He was one of the members of the Young Latvia movement....
, where he wanted to show that deep and noble feelings can also be expressed in Latvian, which the Baltic-German Barons regarded as a peasant tongue. This volume of poetry was published in 1856, the same year as Charles Baudelaire's
Charles Baudelaire
Charles Baudelaire was a French poet who produced notable work as an essayist, art critic, and pioneering translator of Edgar Allan Poe. His most famous work, Les Fleurs du mal expresses the changing nature of beauty in modern, industrializing Paris during the nineteenth century...
Les Fleur du Mal, the starting point of European modernism
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
in poetry.
The national epic, Lāčplēsis
Lacplesis
Lāčplēsis is an epic poem by Andrejs Pumpurs, a Latvian poet, who wrote it between 1872-1887 based on local legends. Lāčplēsis is regarded as the Latvian national epic.-Synopsis:...
, published in 1888 was written by Andrejs Pumpurs
Andrejs Pumpurs
Andrejs Pumpurs was a poet who penned the Latvian epic Lāčplēsis and a prominent figure in the Young Latvia movement.Growing up on both banks of the Daugava river, he was one of three children from the civil...
.
In the beginning of 20th. century, mainly through the many German and Russian connections, Latvian literature had diverging movements of symbolism
Symbolism
Symbolism is the applied use of symbols. It is a representation that carries a particular meaning. It is a device in literature where an object represents an idea.A symbol is an object, action, or idea that represents something other than itself....
, decadence
Decadence
Decadence can refer to a personal trait, or to the state of a society . Used to describe a person's lifestyle. Concise Oxford Dictionary: "a luxurious self-indulgence"...
, and politically – socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
, Marxism
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
, these movements went underground after the defeat of the largest national Latvian uprising the 1905 revolution – and the revenge from the tsarist regime was severe, leading to the first emigration
Emigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
of intellectuals from Latvia.
Rainis
Rainis
Rainis was the pseudonym of Jānis Pliekšāns was a Latvian poet, playwright, translator, and politician. Rainis' works include the classic plays Uguns un nakts and Indulis un Ārija , and a highly regarded translation of Goethe's Faust...
was a poet, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, translator, and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
at the turn of the century; his classic plays "Fire and Night" and "Indulis and Ārija" 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
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
. Rainis was the first to formulate the idea that Latvia could be, not a part of a more democratic Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
– but a sovereign state. He married Aspazija
Aspazija
Aspazija was the pen name of Elza Pliekšāne , a Latvian poet and playwright. Aspazija is the Latvian transliteration of Aspasia.- Biography :...
, also a writer, active in the feminist movement. They were exiled to inner Russia from 1897–1903, and lived in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
from 1905–1920. When they returned to an independent Latvia after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Aspazija also joined the Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party
Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party
The Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party is a centre-left, social democratic party in Latvia. It has a long history but is not represented in the current parliament of Latvia.-History:...
, and was a member of all sessions of Parliament of Latvia from 1920 to 1934.
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
Aleksandrs Caks
Aleksandrs Čaks , born Aleksandrs Čadarainis, was a Latvian poet and writer. Čaks is arguably the first Latvian writer whose works are distinctly urban, compared to usual depictions of country life or small villages in earlier Latvian literature.He was born in Riga to a tailor's family, and,...
(real name Cadarainis) glorified the capital city of Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
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
Latvian Riflemen
This article is about Latvian military formations in World War I and Russian Civil War. For Red Army military formations in World War II see Latvian Riflemen Soviet Divisions....
. In 1949, when Latvia was part of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, Čaks was accused of writing politically incorrect works: the attacks weakened his health, and he died of heart disease on February 8, 1950.
Eriks Adamsons
Eriks Adamsons
Eriks Ādamsons was a Latvian writer, poet and novelist.- Biography :Eriks Ādamsons was born in Riga on June 22, 1907. In 1926 he started law studies in Latvian University. He made his first publication in 1924. In 1930ties. he fully devoted himself to literature...
and Vilis Cedrins, 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
Linards Tauns was a Latvian writer.-External links:*...
, Gunars Salins, Janis Sodums, Andrejs Eglitis, Velta Snikere, Gunars Janovskis. Agate Nesaule 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, Margarita Gutmane, Roberts Muks, Andrejs Eglitis, Jānis Sodums.
Latvian Literature after Second World War
After WWII
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Latvian literary activity was split into three parts – those writers still in Latvia, those in the Gulag's
Gulag
The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...
(after two mass-deportations in 1941 and 1949) and writers who had fled to the West. After WWII, for some years the centre of Latvian Literature was Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
In the mid 1950s two important things happened: young Latvian exile writers started to publish their works in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
– the NY Hell's Kitchen group became the leading one, and secondly, in the Soviet union Nikita Sergejevich Chrustjov
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
revealed the Stalin-eras 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: Ojars Vacietis
Ojars Vacietis
Ojārs Vācietis was a Latvian writer.-References:...
, Imants Ziedonis
Imants Ziedonis
Imants Ziedonis is a Latvian poet who first rose to fame during the Soviet occupation period of Latvia.-Early life:Ziedonis was born in the Sloka fisherman's district of Jūrmala, Latvia. He was educated at the University of Latvia in Riga where he earned a degree in philology in 1959. He earned an...
and Vizma Belsevica
Vizma Belševica
Vizma Belševica was a Latvian poetess, writer and translator. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature.- Biography :...
.
Valentins Jakobsons and Knuts Skujenieks
Knuts Skujenieks
Knuts Skujenieks is a Latvian poet, journalist, and translator from fifteen European languages.He spent his childhood near Bauska, Zemgale...
had been sent to a labor camps in Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, and was one of those who survived to return and write about their experience, along with Sandra Kalniete
Sandra Kalniete
Sandra Kalniete is a Latvian politician, author, diplomat and independence movement leader. She served as Foreign Minister of Latvia 2002–2004 and as European Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries in 2004...
, 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 Belsevica
Vizma Belševica
Vizma Belševica was a Latvian poetess, writer and translator. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature.- Biography :...
, Imants Ziedonis
Imants Ziedonis
Imants Ziedonis is a Latvian poet who first rose to fame during the Soviet occupation period of Latvia.-Early life:Ziedonis was born in the Sloka fisherman's district of Jūrmala, Latvia. He was educated at the University of Latvia in Riga where he earned a degree in philology in 1959. He earned an...
, Ojārs Vācietis
Ojars Vacietis
Ojārs Vācietis was a Latvian writer.-References:...
, Māris Čaklais; novelists Regina Ezera, Alberts Bels; and a younger generation who grew up during those times, such as poets Klāvs Elsbergs
Klāvs Elsbergs
Klāvs Elsbergs was a Latvian poet and translator. He was the son of a famous Latvian poetess Vizma Belševica.- Biography :...
(son of Vizma Belsevica), Uldis Berzins
Uldis Berzinš
Uldis Bērziņš is a Latvian poet and translator.He studied Latvian philology at the University of Latvia and published his first collection of poetry in 1980...
, Amanda Aizpuriete, Peters Bruveris, Anna Auzina, Knuts Skujenieks
Knuts Skujenieks
Knuts Skujenieks is a Latvian poet, journalist, and translator from fifteen European languages.He spent his childhood near Bauska, Zemgale...
, Māris Melgalvs. Mara Zalite
Mara Zalite
Māra Zālīte is a Latvian writer.-Bibliography:Mara Zalite was born in Krasnoyarsk where her family had been deported. In 1975 she graduated department of Philology in University of Latvia...
, who once wrote poetry, has written musicals for the past years.
Latgalian writers include: V. Dzērvinīks, O. Seiksts, V. Lukaševičs, I. Tārauda, L. Rundāne, Nide, Dace Puce, Andrew - Peteris. Cedrins (born in USA), A.Rancane, R.Judeiko (lives in UK), I. Kilevica, Egita-Tereze Jonane, I. Purina (lives in Sweden) I.Sokolova, L. Muktupāvela, Rego (lives and works in UK), I. Jurkane. Rudy, I. Atpile-Jugane, L. Liepdruviete and others.Recently the new men of letters - E. Dervinieks, I. Ratinīka, J. Čevere, L. Ivanova and others - write in two and three languages, namely alongside with the Latvian literary language or the Latgalian literary language texts in Russian or English appear. Every year Latgalian latest literature is published in Latgalian Literary almanac. Since 1990 books written in the Latgalian literary language are published mainly by the Publishing House of the Culture Centre of Latgale run by J. Elksnis (Rēzekne).
First-generation children born to Latvian parents in exile who became writers include Svens Birkerts, poet Juris Kronbergs
Juris Kronbergs
Juris Kronbergs is a Latvian-Swedish poet and translator, living in Stockholm.In Latvia, he is best known for his poetry, written in Latvian. His most acknowledged book is Vilks vienacis , which has been published in Swedish, English and Estonian translations. In Sweden, Kronbergs is the most...
and Inara Cedrins (niece of Vilis Cedrins).
The youngest generation of Latvian writers includes Inga Ābele, poet, novelist and playwright; poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
s Peteris Draguns, Eduards Aivars, Liana Langa, Marts Pujats, Inga Gaile and Andris Akmentins; prose writers include Pauls Bankovskis, Janis Einfelds, Gundega Repse, Andra Neiburga, Laima Muktapavele and Nora Ikstena. Sergei Timofeyev is also notable, producing multimedia poetry in Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
(Latvia has a vast amount of Russian speakers).
The Latvian Literature Center was founded in 2002 to foster international recognition of and access to Latvian fiction, poetry, plays and children's literature.