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REFLECTION OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COUNTRY IN FICTION AND JOURNALISTIC TEXTS IN LATVIA OF 1918 – 1940

Alina Romanovska

Abstract

The Proclamation of Independence of Latvia by the People's Council of Latvia on November 18, 1918 called Proclamation Day of the Republic of Latvia became the most important date in self-awareness of the Latvian people. In the interwar period, the 18th of November became a public holiday uniting all nations and ethnical groups inhabiting Latvia. The establishment of the independent country also caused reflection on this event – gradually increased a necessity to study historical circumstances, preconditions and regularities of the establishment, to define its peculiarities and aims, to create national identity – also with the help of literary and journalistic texts. In the Latvian language texts were published which demonstrated either an aim of intentional propaganda and patriotism of Latvia or were more neutral evaluating the situation in a contradictory way. Among the most active authors of that time who in fiction, literary memoirs and journalistic and historical texts reflected on the fact of the establishment of the country the names of L?got?u J?kabs, K?rlis Skalbe, Edvards Virza and some others can be mentioned. During the interwar period, the literature written in the Russian language is also an integral part of the cultural space of Latvia. From the very first days of Latvian Independence Russian newspapers of heroic and patriotic kind started to eulogize Latvia, Riga and other towns as well as brave fighters for the independence: both military and civil people. It is especially well seen in the creative work of two Riga’s authors - ?ikhail Argunov and ?ikhail Rodionov who in 1919 and 1920 contributed much to the newspaper ‘’Utro’’. The idea to create the independent Republic of Latvia was not and obviously could not be dominant in the Russian society of the country. The character of publications, as well as M. Argunov and M. Rodionov’s poetical works prove clearly that it is only an attempt or the way to create the general public mood of a specific kind with a simultaneous transfer of the propagandistic information.

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