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Archive photo: Writer and poet Jānis Poruks – 150

October 13 of this year marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of a writer and poet, the creator of “pale boys” – images of sad dreamers and deep sensitivities – in Latvian literature Jānis Poruks. In commemoration of the classics of Latvian literature, the Latvian State Archives Archive of Latvian State Film and Photophono Documents offers to see photographs of Jānis Poruks from the archive collection.

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Latvian writer and poet Jānis Poruks was born on October 13, 1871 in “Prēdeļi”, Druviena parish, Cēsis district.

He studied at Druviena Parish School, Liezere Parish School, Cēsis City School and Riga Polytechnic Preschool. With the support of patrons and benefactors, Jānis Poruks studied at the Royal Conservatory of Dresden (1893-1894), where he studied music, but the lack of money forced him to return to Riga. He also studied chemistry at the Riga Polytechnic, from which almost 300 other Latvian students were deducted for the unrest, but later returned to study business.

He has worked in the newspaper “Mājas Viesis” and the magazine “Mājas Viesa Mēnešraksts”, for a short time he has also worked as a scraper and manor manager.

Jānis Poruks was not destined for a long life, he died on June 25, 1911 in a psychiatric hospital in Tartu (now Tartu), Estonia. He was buried in Cēsis, but in 1924 he was reburied in the Riga Forest Cemetery, where a tombstone built by Teodors Zaļkalns was erected in 1930.

The first Poruka publications were published during the Cēsis city school. The first major work published was the German-language book The Religion of the Future in Berlin (1894). Poruks has left several hundred works, some of which have now become classics – the story “Battle of Knipska” (1897), the play “Hernhutians” (1896), the poem “Zilizana heartburn” (1905) poetry collection “Poetry” (1906). Poruka’s story-fantasy “Pearl Fisherman” (1895) is included in the canon of Latvian culture. During Poruka’s life, Atis Ķeniņš collected and published his collected articles.

He has signed works under several other pseudonyms, including “Nemo”, “Adagio”, “Parsifals”.

In honor of the anniversary of Poruka on October 13 at 7 pm in the Midsummer Hall of the Riga Latvian Society (RLB), a literary musical performance “It is Love” is dedicated to him.

The concert performance program will include revelations of Poruka’s life and work in poetry, letters and music, composed by Māris Lasmanis, and compositions will be sung by soloist Nauris Indzeris. Actress Anita Grūbe will read Poruka’s letters, philosophical insights and poetry.

Shortly before the anniversary of the classic of Latvian literature, the publishing house “Dienas raamat” has published Inga Žolude’s novel about Poruka – “Vendenes Lotospuķe”, while Latvijas Pasts has issued a stamp dedicated to the writer.

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