Aspazija was the
pen name
A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name.
A pen na ...
of Elza Johanna Emilija Lizete Pliekšāne (née Elza Rozenberga; 16 March 1865 – 5 November 1943), a
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
n
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 ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...
and
playwright
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
. Aspazija is the
Latvian transliteration of
Aspasia
Aspasia (; grc-gre, Ἀσπασία ; after 428 BC) was a ''metic'' woman in Classical Athens. Born in Miletus, she moved to Athens and began a relationship with the statesman Pericles, with whom she had a son, Pericles the Younger. Accordin ...
.
Biography
Aspazija was born and raised in a wealthy peasant family near
Jelgava
Jelgava (; german: Mitau, ; see also other names) is a state city in central Latvia about southwest of Riga with 55,972 inhabitants (2019). It is the largest town in the region of Zemgale (Semigalia). Jelgava was the capital of the united Duch ...
in 1865, where she studied and was active in youth organizations. She left gymnasium during the last year of studies, and in 1886 married Wilhelm Max Valter. Later she became interested in
literature
Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...
, mainly by German authors. Her first publication appeared in 1887 in the newspaper ''Dienas Lapa''. In 1891, she divorced her husband and until 1893 worked as a private teacher in
Jaunsvirlauka. In 1893, she settled in
Riga
Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...
and started to work as
a journalist. In 1894 her first plays ''Vaidelote'' and ''Zaudētās tiesības'' were staged in Riga.
[
In those years she met Jānis Pliekšāns (better known as ]Rainis
Rainis was the pseudonym of Jānis Pliekšāns (September 11, 1865 – September 12, 1929), a Latvian poet, playwright, translator, and politician. Rainis' works include the classic plays ''Uguns un nakts'' (''Fire and Night'', 1905) and ''Ind ...
), a newspaper editor, poet, lawyer, and a leader of the New Current
The New Current ( lv, Jaunā strāva) in the history of Latvia was a broad leftist social and political movement that followed the First Latvian National Awakening (led by the Young Latvians from the 1850s to the 1880s) and culminated in the 190 ...
(Jaunā strāva) movement. Under his influence, Aspazija joined the New Current. The couple married in 1897, when they moved to Panevėžys
Panevėžys (; Latin: ''Panevezen''; pl, Poniewież; yi, פּאָנעװעזש, ''Ponevezh''; see also other names) is the fifth largest city in Lithuania. As of 2011, it occupied with 113,653 inhabitants. As defined by Eurostat, the population ...
, Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
, after the crackdown of New Current. The same year, she published her first collection of poetry. For his activities, Rainis was imprisoned and later sentenced to five years in exile in Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
from 1897 to 1903, and Aspazija followed him. Together they translated into Latvian many works of Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as treat ...
. Later they returned to Latvia and continued writing, while Rainis also participated in socialist politics.[
The 1905 Revolution began with protests in St. Petersburg in January. Within days, protests spread to Riga and many were killed on 13 January 1905. Aspazija's play "Vaidelote" (The Vestal) opened in January and was interpreted as a breakup call from the Imperialist Russia. (Rainis also published a collection of revolutionary poems, ''Vētras Sēja'' (''The Sowing of the Storm'').) The czar ordered a crack-down, and many revolutionaries were arrested and killed in 1905-6. Therefore, Rainis and Aspazija fled to ]Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
and lived in exile in Castagnola from 1905 to 1920.[
When they returned to independent Latvia after ]World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, Aspazija was active in the feminist
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
movement. She also joined the Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party
)
, colours = Maroon Green
, headquarters = Riga, Lāčplēša iela 60, LV-1011
, seats1_title = Saeima
, seats1 =
, seats2_title = European Parliament
, seats2 =
, website lsdsp.lv, membership_year = 2017
, membership = 633
The Latv ...
and was elected to the constitutional assembly
A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...
. After Rainis died in 1929 Aspazija lived very privately in Riga or in her summer house in Dubulti. She died in 5 November 1943 in Dubulti and was buried in the Rainis cemetery in Riga, next to her husband.[
]
Literary works
Aspazija's first works are realistic, but most of her work is neo-romantic. Some are a nostalgic look to the past. For example, the play ''Vaidelote'' (a female servant to gods in Lithuanian mythology
Lithuanian mythology ( lt, Lietuvių mitologija) is the mythology of Lithuanian polytheism, the religion of pre-Christian Lithuanians. Like other Indo-Europeans, ancient Lithuanians maintained a polytheistic mythology and religious structure. ...
), written in 1894, takes place in the 14th century Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Li ...
. The plays ''Simple Rights'' and ''Unattained Goals'' provoked many discussions because of their protest against the patriarchal
Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of Dominance hierarchy, dominance and Social privilege, privilege are primarily held by men. It is used, both as a technical Anthropology, anthropological term for families or clans controll ...
society. The play ''Silver Veil'' (''Sidraba šķidrauts'') is considered to be her best work. In 1923, she wrote a play titled ''Aspazija''.[
In the poetry compilation ''Red Flowers'', simple and ordinary things are viewed in a romantic light. At the same time, her poems are full of light, fantasy, and rebellious moods. In ''Soul's Twilight'' (1904), pessimistic moods take over.][
While living abroad, Aspazija wrote the poetry compilations ''Sunny Corner'' and ''Spread Wings'', which have fewer social aspects and more intimate text, less rebellion against society, and more personal feelings.][
]
References
Sources
* ''Aspazija. A Latvian Writer 1865–1943. Her Lyrical Prose. Translated by Astrida B. Stahnke''. Jūrmalas vēstures un mākslas biedrība, 2015. .
* Stahnke, Astrida B. ''Aspazija: her life and her drama''. Lanham, MD.: Univ. Press of America, 1984. ; .
* Meskova, Sandra (2003). Two mothers of Latvian literature : Aspazija and Anna Brigadere
Anna Brigadere (October 1, 1861, in Tērvete – June 25, 1933, in Tērvete) was a writer, playwright and poet from Latvia.
Biography
Her first story was published in 1896. In 1897, she turned her focus exclusively to literary work, and h ...
. ''Journal of Baltic Studies
The Journal of Baltic Studies, the official journal of the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies (AABS), is a peer-reviewed multidisciplinary academic journal founded in 1970 and published quarterly by Routledge, dedicated to the poli ...
''. 34.3, 276–297.
* Nesaule, Agate (1992). What happened to Aspazija? In search of feminism in Latvia. ''Hecate''. 18.2, 112–125. ISSN 0311-4198 ;
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aspazija
1865 births
1943 deaths
People from Jelgava Municipality
People from Courland Governorate
Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party politicians
Deputies of the Constitutional Assembly of Latvia
Latvian dramatists and playwrights
Latvian feminists
Latvian women poets
Latvian journalists
Latvian socialist feminists
Women dramatists and playwrights
Latvian women journalists
19th-century journalists
19th-century dramatists and playwrights
19th-century Latvian poets
19th-century Latvian women writers
19th-century Latvian writers
20th-century dramatists and playwrights
20th-century Latvian poets
20th-century Latvian women writers
Latvian exiles
Latvian expatriates in Switzerland
20th-century Latvian women politicians
Recipients of the Cross of Recognition