Jānis Pliekšāns | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 11 September 1865 |
| Died | 12 September 1929 (aged 64) |
| Occupation(s) | Poet Playwright translator politician |
| Spouse | Aspazija |
| Awards | Order of the Three Stars, 1st class (1925) |
Jānis Pliekšāns (11 September 1865 – 12 September 1929), known by his pseudonym Rainis, was a Latvian poet, playwright, translator, and politician. Rainis' works include the classic plays Uguns un nakts (Fire and Night, 1905) and Indulis un Ārija (Indulis and Ārija, 1911), and a highly regarded translation of Goethe's Faust. His works had a profound influence on the literary Latvian language, and the ethnic symbolism he employed in his major works has been central to Latvian nationalism.