Atis Kronvalds or Kronvaldu Atis (15 April 1837 – 17 February 1875) was a Latvian writer,

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

and

pedagogue Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken a ...

, as well as a prominent member of the Young Latvia movement.

Early life

Kronvalds was born to a tailor family, but was raised by priests of Durbe. After studies in

Liepāja Liepāja (; liv, Līepõ; see other names) is a state city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea. It is the largest-city in the Kurzeme Region and the third-largest city in the country after Riga and Daugavpils. It is an important ice-f ...

he became a private teacher. In 1860 he started to study medicine at the

University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative ...

; however, he left after half a year when he ran out of money. He returned to Latvia, where he resumed work as a private teacher in Durbe.

Participation in "Young Latvians" movement

After returning to Latvia, Kronvalds joined the Latvian nationalist movement " Young Latvians" and became a passionate advocate of Latvian rights,

language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of ...

, and culture. In 1865 he moved to Tartu to study pedagogy at the

University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; et, Tartu Ülikool; la, Universitas Tartuensis) is a university in the city of Tartu in Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is the only classical university in the country, and also its biggest ...

. In 1868 he became a teacher at the teacher seminary there. He participated in the social activities of local Latvian society; notably, he renewed the "Latvian evenings" tradition begun by

Krišjānis Valdemārs Krišjānis Valdemārs (in Germanized spelling as Christian Waldemar or Woldemar) (2 December 1825 at Vecjunkuri in Ārlava parish (now Valdgale parish, Courland, Latvia) – 7 December 1891 in Moscow, Russia) was a writer, editor, educator, poli ...

. He also wrote works of educational theory and several articles on education and linguistics. In 1872 he wrote ''Nationale Bestrebungen'', the manifesto of the Young Latvians. In 1873 Kronvalds moved to Vecpiebalga, where he worked as a teacher in a local school; he also participated by delivering two speeches, in the first

Latvian Song and Dance Festival The Latvian Song and Dance Festival ( lv, Vispārējie latviešu Dziesmu un Deju svētki) is one of the largest amateur choral and dancing events in the world and an important event in Latvian culture and social life. As one of the Baltic song ...

in the same year. He is one of the most famous Latvian authors of all time.

Works

* ''Dzeja jeb poēzija'' (1869) * ''Vecas valodas jauni vārdi'' (1869) * ''Tēvuzemes mīlestība'' (1871) * ''Valodas kopējiem'' (1872) * ''Nationale Bestrebungen'' (1872) * ''Tautiskie centieni'' (1887) * Kopoti raksti 2 sēj. (1936—1937) * Selected works ''Tagadnei'' (1987)

References

1837 births 1875 deaths People from Priekule Municipality People from Courland Governorate Linguists from Latvia Latvian writers 19th-century Latvian people 19th-century writers from the Russian Empire Educators from the Russian Empire University of Tartu alumni {{Latvia-writer-stub