Jānis Rainis

Latvian poet. His real name was Pliekšāns. He was born into a family of peasants. After studying law at St. Petersburg University, he returned to Riga and participated in the Latvian independence movement from Imperial Russia, working as an editor for a daily newspaper. He was arrested by the authorities in 1897, escaped in 1905, and went into exile in Switzerland. After Latvia gained independence, he returned to the country and served as a member of parliament, director of the National Theatre, and Minister of Education in 1920. His representative works include the historical drama "Fire and Night" (1905), the revolutionary poem "Ave Suor!" (1910), the verse dramas "Blow, Wind" (1913), "I Played and Danced" (1919), and the historical drama "The Witches of Riga" (1928). His collected works, published in 1977, consist of 30 volumes. His wife Aspazija (1868-1943) was also known as a poet.

[Nobuyuki Nakamoto]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ラトビアの詩人。本名プリエクシャーンスPliekšāns。小作農民の家に生まれる。ペテルブルグ大学法学部に学んだのちリガに戻り、帝政ロシアからのラトビア独立運動に参加、日刊紙の編集に携わった。1897年官憲に捕らわれ、1905年脱獄、スイスに亡命。ラトビア独立後帰国、20年以後国会議員、国立劇場支配人、文部大臣を歴任した。代表作に史劇『火と夜』（1905）、革命の詩『アベ・スオル！』（1910）、詩劇『風よ吹け』（1913）、『われは奏で、踊った』（1919）、史劇『リガの魔女』（1928）などがあり、77年刊行開始の全集は30巻を数える。妻のアスパジャAspazija（1868―1943）も詩人として知られる。

［中本信幸］

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