Austra Skujiņa (born 10 February 1909 in Vidriži parish,

Governorate of Livonia The Governorate of Livonia, also known as the Livonia Governorate, was a province (''guberniya'') and one of the Baltic governorates of the Russian Empire, Baltic Governorate-General until 1876. Governorate of Livonia bordered Governorate of E ...

– died 5 September 1932,

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

) was a Latvian

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 (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

. She was known for her sad poems about the impossibility of love and happiness despite wanting to achieve it. Her first poem was published in 1926 in a social democrat newspaper, and during her first years she was more known more for left wing and protest poems. The first collection of her poems was published in 1932, shortly after her suicide. Skujiņa committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

on 5 September 1932, at the age of 23. She is buried at the

Riga Forest Cemetery Forest Cemetery () is an large cemetery in the northwestern part of Riga, the capital of Latvia, between the neighbourhoods of Mežaparks and Čiekurkalns. Formally, the cemetery is divided between 1st Forest Cemetery, with entrance from Aizsau ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skujina, Austra 1909 births 1932 suicides 1932 deaths People from Limbaži Municipality People from Riga county 20th-century Latvian poets Suicides by drowning Suicides in Latvia Burials at Forest Cemetery, Riga Latvian women poets