Latvian literature refers to the body of works written by
Latvian authors.
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". 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 Barons regarded as a peasant tongue. This
volume of poetry was published in 1856, the same year as Charles Baudelaire's Les Fleur du Mal, the starting point of
European modernism in poetry. The national epic, Lāčplēsis, published in 1888
was written by Andrejs Pumpurs.
In the beginning of 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 – and the revenge from the tsarist regime was severe, leading to the
first emigration of intellectuals from Latvia.
Rainis was a poet, playwright, translator, and politician at
the turn of the century; his classic plays "Fire
and Night" Latvian: "Uguns
un nakts, 1905" and "Indulis
and Ārija" Latvian: "Indulis
un 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
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 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 real name "Čadarainis" glorified
the capital city of Riga
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 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, Gunārs Saliņš, Jānis Sodums, Alfreds
Dziļums, Andrejs Eglītis, Velta Sniķere, Gunārs 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 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 Gulag's "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.
In the mid 1950s two important things happened: young
Latvian exile writers started to publish their works in Stockholm,
London, New
York – the NY Hell's Kitchen group became the leading
one, and secondly, in the Soviet Union Nikita Khrushchev revealed the Stalinist-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, Imants Ziedonis and Vizma
Belševica.
Valentīns Jākobsons and Knuts Skujenieks had been sent to a
labor camps in Siberia, and was one of 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, Māris Čaklais;
novelists Regīna Ezera, Alberts Bels; and a younger generation who grew up
during those times, such as poets Klāvs Elsbergs son of "Vizma Belševica",
Uldis Bērziņš, Amanda Aizpuriete, Pēters Brūveris, Anna Auziņa, Knuts
Skujenieks, Māris Melgalvs. Māra Zālīte, 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 men of letters 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 Jānis Elksnis (Rēzekne).
First-generation children born to Latvian parents in exile
who became writers include Sven Birkerts, poet Juris Kronbergs and Margita
Gūtmane.
The youngest generation of Latvian writers includes Inga
Ābele, poet, novelist and playwright; poets Edvīns Raups, Andris Akmentiņš, Pēteris
Draguns, Eduards Aivars, Liana Langa, Anna Auziņa, Kārlis Vērdiņš, Marts Pujāts
and Inga Gaile; prose writers include Pauls Bankovskis, Jānis Einfelds, Gundega
Repše, Andra Neiburga, Laima Muktupāvela and Nora Ikstena.
The Latvian
Literature Center
was founded in 2002 to foster international recognition of and access to
Latvian fiction, poetry, plays and children's literature.
Revised: 16 March 2016
