Viktors Eglītis (15 April 1877 – 20 April 1945) was a Latvian writer and art theorist. He was a leading figure in the Latvian

decadent movement The Decadent movement (Fr. ''décadence'', “decay”) was a late-19th-century artistic and literary movement, centered in Western Europe, that followed an aesthetic ideology of excess and artificiality. The Decadent movement first flourished ...

and an introducer of

modernist Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...

poetics.

Early life

Viktors Eglītis was born in Sarkaņi Parish on 15 April 1877. After dropping out of an

Orthodox Christian Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churche ...

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

Vitebsk Vitebsk or Viciebsk (russian: Витебск, ; be, Ві́цебск, ; , ''Vitebsk'', lt, Vitebskas, pl, Witebsk), is a city in Belarus. The capital of the Vitebsk Region, it has 366,299 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-largest ci ...

, Eglītis studied drawing in

Penza Penza ( rus, Пе́нза, p=ˈpʲɛnzə) is the largest city and administrative center of Penza Oblast, Russia. It is located on the Sura River, southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 Census, Penza had a population of 517,311, making it the 38th-l ...

and enrolled at Maria Tenisheva's art studio in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

. There he became acquainted with the ideas of the Russian Silver Age and several of its prominent figures.

Literary career

Back in Latvia, he adapted the ideas of

Russian symbolism Russian symbolism was an intellectual and artistic movement predominant at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. It arose separately from European symbolism, emphasizing mysticism and ostranenie. Literature Influences Primary ...

for Latvian literature and art theory. In 1902, he used the term "

decadence The word decadence, which at first meant simply "decline" in an abstract sense, is now most often used to refer to a perceived decay in standards, morals, dignity, religious faith, honor, discipline, or skill at governing among the members of ...

" to designate his writings. In various articles, he laid out his poetics which were opposed to moral schemes, abstraction and realism, and instead promoted artistic individualism. He was well received by a number of young writers, who along with Eglītis wanted to refocus the language of poetry, which was dominated by well-defined lyrical forms and clear narratives, to symbols and signs that were not always easy to decipher. With this they wished to provide a sense of mystery and prophecy, and leave room for subtlety and subconscious impulses. This poetic is prominent in Eglītis' poetry collection ''Elēģijas'' (1907) and short story collection ''Vērtības pārvērtējot'' (1911). Eglītis also illustrated his own books with symbolic drawings. In addition to the enthusiasm from his followers, Eglītis' often aggressive introduction of

principles was also met with vocal opposition. After the outbursts of his early works, the prolific Eglītis gradually turned to a more neoclassical and realistic expression; toward the end of his career he even launched the slogan "Away with modernism!" ( lv, Nost ar modernismu!) In the 1920s he was an established and much read literary figure in Latvia, with works characterised by

positivism Positivism is an empiricist philosophical theory that holds that all genuine knowledge is either true by definition or positive—meaning ''a posteriori'' facts derived by reason and logic from sensory experience.John J. Macionis, Linda M. G ...

and

maximalism In the arts, maximalism, a reaction against minimalism, is an aesthetic of excess. The philosophy can be summarized as "more is more", contrasting with the minimalist motto "less is more". Literature The term ''maximalism'' is sometimes associat ...

. From the end of the 1920s, he moved in an increasingly patriotic direction. He wrote historical fiction where he depicted the Baltic nations in opposition to other countries, primarily Germany. He turned to the

Baltic neopaganism Baltic neopaganism is a category of autochthonous religious movements which have revitalised within the Baltic people (primarily Lithuanians and Latvians).Wiench 1995 These movements trace their origins back to the 19th century and they were sup ...

of the

Dievturība Dievturība is a neopagan movement which is a modern revival of the ethnic religion of the Latvians before Christianization in the 13th century. Adherents call themselves Dievturi (singular: Dievturis), literally "Dievs' keepers", "people who l ...

movement. Late in his life he also came to express

antisemitic Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

views and support for the politics of

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

Death and legacy

In 1944, Eglītis was convicted in a Soviet court, accused of being a

fascist Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...

collaborator. He died in prison on 20 April 1945. During the Soviet era, he was almost never discussed, remained unread and was largely forgotten. After Latvia regained its independence, Eglītis began to be rediscovered and gained status as the country's leading decadent writer. The literary scholar published a biography on Eglītis in 2012.

Personal life

Eglītis married the teacher and translator Marija Eglīte (born Stalbova) in 1904. She died in 1926. In 1930 he married the painter and writer

Hilda Vīka Hilda Vīka (5 November 1897 – 14 February 1963), also known as Hilda Vīka-Eglīte, was a Latvian artist and writer. She made stylised watercolour and oil paintings of everyday life and dreamy visions. She wrote poetry, short stories and novels ...

. With his first wife, he was the father of the writer, journalist and painter

Anšlavs Eglītis Anšlavs Eglītis (October 14, 1906 – March 4, 1993) was a Latvian writer, journalist and painter who became a war refugee in 1944. He had a prolific career as a novelist, and his later work often examined aspects of exile life. Biography ...

(1906 – 1993).

List of works

Bibliography adapted from Literatura.lv. Poetry collections * ''Elēģijas'', 1907, self-published * ''Hipokrēna'', 1912, Zalktis * ', 1924, self-published * ''Kastaļavots'', 1924 * ', 1926, Latvju Kultūra * ', 1937, Valters un Rapa * ', 1942, Latvju Grānata Epic poems * ', 1910, Imanta * ', 1920, Vaiņags * ', 1921, Vaiņags * ''Barons Maidels'', 1923, Leta * ', 1933, Valters un Rapa Prose fiction * ', short stories, 1911 * ''Latvietis Krievijā'', novella, 1920, P. Liepa * ''Līdzvainīgie'', novel, 1920, A. Gulbis * ', novella, 1921, Leta * ', novel, 1921 * ', novellas, 1923, Valters un Rapa * ', 1924, D. Zeltiņš * ', 1924, Leta * ', 1924, Leta * ', novel, 1926, Valters un Rapa * ', 1926, Leta * ''Domājošā Rīga'', 1934, self-published * ', short stories, 1936, A. Gulbis * ', short stories, 1936, Zelta Grauds * ', short stories, 1942, Kreišmanis Drama * ', 1921, A. Gulbis * ', 1923, J. Roze * ', 1924, Valters un Rapa Literary criticism * ''Poruks'', 1903, Burtnieks * ', 1921 * ', 1923, Lapsene

Early life

Literary career

Death and legacy

Personal life

List of works

See also

References

Further reading