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Rainis Jānis
(1865—1929)

Rainis, was the pseudonym of Jānis Pliekšans, a poet, playwright, translator, and politician who is considered to be the greatest Latvian writer. Rainis' works include the classic plays Uguns un nakts (Fire and Night, 1905) and Indulis un Ārija (Indulis and Ārija, 1911) and a highly regarded translation of Goethe's Faust. His oeuvre had a profound influence on the literary Latvian language, and the folkloric symbolism he employed in his major works has been central to Latvian nationalism.

Rainis studied law at the University of St. Petersburg. Still a student, Rainis was already collecting folk songs, was writing satirical and lyric poetry, and translating literature. Together with Pēteris Stučka (later to become a prominent Latvian communist and Rainis' brother-in-law, married to Rainis' sister Dora) he edited a collection of epigrams and satire, Mazie dunduri (The Small Gad-flies) and published Apdziedāšanas dziesmas (Mocking Songs) about the third Song Festival. After completing his studies, he worked at the Vilnius regional court and with Andrejs Stērsts in Jelgava. Rainis wrote for Dienas Lapa (The Daily Sheet), Tēvija (Fatherland) and the Latvian Conversational Dictionary. From 1891 to 1895 Rainis was editor in chief of Dienas Lapa.

In 1897 Russian authorities deported him to Pleskov and later settled him in Vyatka guberniya (now Kirov Oblast). In exile, Rainis translated Faust and other works from classical literature. Here he also produced his first collection of poems, Tālas noskaņas (Far Off Moods).

Rainis was also socially active and politically prominent, being one of the spiritual leaders of the Revolution of 1905 in Latvia and central to the New Current movement that led to it. With the failure of the Revolution, he emigrated to Switzerland together with his wife Aspāzija, settling in Castagnola, a suburb of Lugano. As an émigré, Rainis authored:

His dramatic ballad Daugava contained the first explicit demand for Latvian sovereignty — "Land, land, what is that land demanded in our song? / Land, that is a state." Those lines were stricken by the censor when the work was first published in Moscow. After the defeat of Bermondt-Avalov's forces at Rīga in November 1919, the ballad was given a performance at the National Theater to mark the first anniversary of Latvia's proclamation of independence; many soldiers carried this work into battle.

Rainis and Aspāzija returned to Latvia on April 4, 1920. Rainis, as member of the Central Committee of the Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party, resumed his political activities and was member of the Satversmes sapulce (Constituent Assembly) and Saeima (Parliament) and of the Ministry of Education Arts Department, founder/director of the Dailes Theater and director of the National Theater from 1921 to 1925, Minister of Education from December, 1926 to January, 1928, and a member of the Cultural Fund and (Military) Order of Lāčplēsis Council.

Latvia, 1930, Jānis Rainis and new buildings of Riga

Latvia, 1930, Jānis Rainis and character of play

Latvia, 1930, Jānis Rainis and characters of plays

Latvia, 1930, Jānis Rainis and Lyre

Latvia, 1930, Jānis Rainis and Flag

Latvia, 1930, Jānis Rainis and Lyre

Latvia, 2005, Illustration to product of Janis Rainis

USSR, 1950, Tomb of Janis Rainis

USSR, 1965, Janis Rainis

Latvia, 2005.09.10, Riga. Janis Rainis