Jānis Jaunsudrabiņš (25 August 1877 in Nereta – 25 August 1962 in Körbecke) was a Latvian writer and painter and one of the most popular authors of the first

Republic of 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 ...

between the two world wars. Jaunsudrabins0001

Biography

Between 1886–1892 he attended school in Nereta. Thereafter from 1892 until 1893 Jānis went to Panemunis in a russian school. He studied at the Vecsaté Agricultural School from 1895 to 1897. In 1896 he published the first short story, "Winter Night", in the Latvian Aviation Newspaper. From 1898 on he worked as an agricultural specialist in Remte, but was attracted to art later. From 1899 to 1903 he studied at Blum School of Painting in

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 ...

. In 1905 he had three months of training in

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Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Three years after he lived and studied art with his family for one year in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, with his teacher

Lovis Corinth Lovis Corinth (21 July 1858 – 17 July 1925) was a German artist and writer whose mature work as a painter and printmaker realized a synthesis of impressionism and expressionism. Corinth studied in Paris and Munich, joined the Berlin Secessio ...

. Thereafter he returned and lived in Milgravis from 1913. From 1915 to 1918 he lived in the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

. On his return he engaged in painting and writing. In 1924 he traveled Europe with a grant from the Cultural Foundation. In 1937 he got divorced from his wife Sabile Ilūkste. In 1944 he was retreated to the west.

Works

He painted landscapes, portraits, illustrated books (including his own), wrote articles on art, including on

M. K. Čiurlionis M, or m, is the thirteenth letter of the English alphabet. M may also refer to: Companies and products * M (fragrance), a 2008 fragrance by Mariah Carey * M-series rangefinder, a series of List of Leica Camera models#M-series rangefinder, Leic ...

. The story "The Frosty Rings" reveals the love drama of two young people. The experience of childhood is reflected in the "White Paper", "Green Paper", and other collections. The prose has a strong tradition of psychological realism and neo-romanticism. The works subtly convey the spiritual experiences of the characters, despite the life of various strata of rural Latvia, emphasize human connection with nature, continuation of national traditions; Latvian motives abound. He has written pictures, short stories and poems, plays, books on Latvian emigration, and descriptions of Latvians in various countries. His work was translated into

Lithuanian language Lithuanian (, ) is an East Baltic languages, East Baltic language belonging to the Baltic languages, Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family. It is the language of Lithuanians and the official language of Lithuania as well as one of t ...

by Kristijonas Donelaitis, Gabrielius Landsbergis-Žemkalnis, and .

Legacy

In 1965 ''Jānis Jaunsudrabiņš Prose Prize'' () was created.

Bibliography

* Frosty Rings ('), 1907 * White Paper ('), 1914 * Green Paper ('), 2 d. 1950–1951, * Aija ('), 1911, Echo ('), 1914–1915, Winter ('), 1925 trilogy * Dance of Death ('), novel, 1924 * The Newcomer and the Devil ('), novel, 1933 * Don't Look at the Sun (), novel, 1936 * Capri ('), novel, 1939 * Money ('), novel, 1942 * Uršulytė ('), short story, 1929 * Without Homeland ('), 1947 * I tell my wife ('), 1951 * My Life ('), 1957

References

1877 births 1962 deaths Latvian writers 20th-century Latvian painters Latvian male painters {{Europe-writer-stub