Rainis

Who is Rainis?

Rainis, born Jānis Pliekšāns on 11 September 1865 on the Varslavāni farm in Dunava parish, was a Latvian poet, playwright, translator, and statesman regarded as one of the most influential figures in Latvian literature. He rose to prominence as editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Dienas Lapa" in the early 1890s, a platform associated with the progressive New Current movement. In 1897 he was arrested for his political activities and exiled first to Pskov and then to Vyatka province, an experience that deepened the social conscience running through his later work. His major plays, including "Uguns un nakts" (Fire and Night, 1905) and "Indulis un Ārija" (1911), reshaped Latvian dramatic literature through rich national symbolism, and his acclaimed translation of Goethe's "Faust" expanded the expressive range of the Latvian language. After the failed 1905 revolution he lived in exile in Switzerland with his wife, the poet Aspazija, before returning to help build the newly independent Latvian state, serving in the Constitutional Assembly and Saeima, directing the Latvian National Theatre, and serving as Minister of Education. He died in 1929.

Sources: Wikipedia, "Rainis" · Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Rainis" · Latvian Literature (latvianliterature.lv), "Rainis"