Ernests Birznieks-Upītis (born 6 April 1871 – 30 December 1960,

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 ...

) was a Latvian writer, translator and librarian.

Biography

Birznieks-Upītis was born in Dzirciems parish. In 1874 he lost his father. From 1880 to 1886 he studied at the Dzirciems Parish School. From 1887 to 1889, Birznieks-Upītis continued his studies at

Tukums Tukums (; german: Tuckum; liv, Tukāmō) is a town in the Zemgale region of Latvia. History The historical center of Tukums developed between trade routes leading from the mouth of the Daugava River to Prussia. The oldest part is today's Ta ...

City School. Then he prepared for the teacher exams through self-study, which he passed as a teacher. In 1889, he returned to his native Dzirciems, where he worked as a home teacher. In 1891, his first work "Mother" was published in the "Baltijas Vēstnesī", as well as a translation of Ivan Krilov's fable. In 1892 he wrote the story "Soldier's Bride". From 1893 to 1921 Birznieks-Upītis lived in

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

. After leaving his job as a home teacher, he worked as a library manager and as an oil company clerk. In 1900, Birznieks-Upītis' first story book "Upītis stories" was published, which ensured the author's popularity. In 1908, Ernests Birznieks-Upītis founded the book publishing house "Dzirciemnieki". In total, by 1921, 67 books had been published, including Birznieks-Upītis' own works.Ernests Birznieks-Upītis, TimeNote
/ref> In 1912 and 1913, two more books by Birznieks-Upītis were published - "Morning" and "Before the Evening". In 1914, his "Gray Stone Stories" was published separately. In 1922, Ernests Birznieks-Upītis returned to

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 ...

. In the same year he started publishing the newspaper "Vārds". He also worked in the magazines "Domas", "Rainbow", "Youth Flows", "Small Flows of Youth". In 1924, his cycle of Caucasian stories "Caucasus Mountains" was published, and in 1927 "Caucasian Stories" was published in two parts. From 1922 to 1924, the "Pastariņš Trilogy" and "Nina's Fairy Tales" were published. From 1927 to 1934 he was the head of the Riga City Library Center. In 1940, after the occupation of Latvia, Birznieks-Upītis joined the Writers' Union. During the German occupation he lived with relatives in Zentene parish. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, they mainly lived in

Lielupe The Lielupe ( in Latvian literally: ''Large River'', lt, Lielupė, german: Kurländische Aa) is a river in central Latvia. Its length is (the length would reach if the Mēmele River were counted as part of the Lielupe). The surface area of ...

References

1871 births 1960 deaths People from Tukums Municipality People from Courland Governorate Latvian male writers 20th-century Latvian writers Writers from the Russian Empire People's Writers of the Latvian SSR Recipients of the Order of the Three Stars Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour {{Latvia-writer-stub