Zenta Mauriņa (15 December 1897 – 25 April 1978) was a Latvian writer, essayist, translator, and researcher in

philology Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...

. She was married to the

Electronic Voice Phenomena Within ghost hunting and parapsychology, electronic voice phenomena (EVP) are sounds found on electronic recordings that are interpreted as spirit voices. Parapsychologist Konstantīns Raudive, who popularized the idea in the 1970s, described E ...

researcher

Konstantin Raudive The first name Konstantin () is a derivation from the Latin name ''Constantinus'' ( Constantine) in some European languages, such as Russian and German. As a Christian given name, it refers to the memory of the Roman emperor Constantine the Great ...

Biography

Born to doctor Roberts Mauriņš, Zenta spent her childhood in

Grobiņa Grobiņa (; german: Grobin) is a town in South Kurzeme Municipality in the Courland region of Latvia, eleven kilometers east of Liepāja. It was founded by the Teutonic Knights in the 13th century. Some ruins of their Grobina castle are sti ...

, where, at the age of six, she contracted polio, leaving her confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. After studying at the Russian girl's high school in Liepaja (1913–1915), she studied philosophy at the

Latvian University University of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Universitāte, shortened ''LU'') is a state-run university located in Riga, Latvia established in 1919. The ''QS World University Rankings'' places the university between 801st and 1000th globally, seventh ...

in Riga (1921–1923). After this, she studied philology of Baltic languages (1923–1927). She taught at the Latvian Teachers Institute and at the Latvian University in Riga and in Murmuiza, and achieved her doctorate in philology in 1938, researching the works of Latvian poet and philosopher,

Fricis Bārda Fricis Bārda (25 January 1880 – 13 March 1919) was a Latvian poet, particularly noted for his interest in philosophical and pantheistic themes. Biography Fricis Bārda was born in the Pociema district, on the rural estate of ''Rumbiņi''. He ...

. At the end of the Second World War, Mauriņa went into exile, first in Germany in 1944, and in 1946 in Sweden, where she became a lecturer at

Uppsala University Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. The university rose to significance during ...

(1949–1963). In 1966, she moved to

Bad Krozingen Bad Krozingen (; Alemannic: ''Bad Chrotzige'') is a spa town in the district Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 15 km southwest of Freiburg. In the 1970s, the previously independent villages Biengen, H ...

in southern Germany, where she was buried after her death in a hospital in Basel, Switzerland.

Works

Up to 1944, Mauriņa published 19 books in Latvia, including monographs on Latvian writers

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 ...

, Jānis Poruks,

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 ...

and Fricis Bārda, as well as on

Dostoyevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (, ; rus, Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский, Fyódor Mikháylovich Dostoyévskiy, p=ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ dəstɐˈjefskʲɪj, a=ru-Dostoevsky.ogg, links=yes; 11 November 18219 ...

and

Dante Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian people, Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', origin ...

. During this period, she also wrote her novel, ''Life on a Train'' (1941). After the war, she published 20 books in Latvian, and 27 in German, and her works have been widely translated into Italian, English, Russian, Swedish, Dutch, Finnish and Danish. Notable among her works in German are: * The Long Journey (Die weite Fahrt) (her autobiography) * A Prophet of the Soul: Fyodor Dostoievsky (a biography, translated from the Latvian by C. P. Finlayson) * Heart mosaic (Mosaik des Herzens) (essays) * In the beginning, was joy (Im Anfang war die Freude) (short stories) * A loved life – a lived life (Geliebtes Leben – gelebtes Leben) (essays) * A Portrait of Russian Writers (Porträts russischer Schriftsteller) (essays)

Awards

* Officer Cross, of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

(1968) * PBLA (World Free Latvians Association) Award (1969) *

Konrad Adenauer Prize The Konrad Adenauer Prize (german: link=no, Konrad-Adenauer-Preis) was an award by the Germany Foundation, a national conservative National conservatism is a nationalist variant of conservatism that concentrates on upholding national and cult ...

, for literature (1971) * Honorary citizen of Bad Krozingen (1977)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maurina, Zenta 1897 births 1978 deaths People from Gulbene Municipality People from Kreis Walk 20th-century Latvian women writers 20th-century philologists Women philologists Latvian translators Translators from Latvian Translators to Latvian Women linguists Latvian philologists 20th-century translators University of Latvia alumni Latvian World War II refugees Latvian emigrants to Sweden Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany People with polio