Für unsere Nationalen: Baltic German contribution to Latvian poetry in the 19th century

Abstract

The article examines 19th-century Latvian literature within the Baltic provinces of the Russian Empire (Kurzeme and Vidzeme), emphasising its emergence in the context of complex social, cultural and national interrelations. Focusing on Latvian-language literary criticism, theory and poetry, the analysis traces the decisive influence of German (primarily Baltic German) culture, while demonstrating that Latvian literature evolved because of a gradual and fluid transition from a predominantly translated corpus into a national literature with its own agency. The study highlights the paradoxical yet foundational role of Baltic Germans in the rise of Latvian national literature. Through patronage, education and publication opportunities, Baltic Germans enabled the rise of the first Latvian poets and a new intelligentsia, gradually transferring literary production into Latvian hands. The article outlines three major areas of Baltic German contribution to Latvian poetry: (1) the establishment of poetic theory and terminology; (2) the landscape of 19th-century Latvian poetry; and (3) the function of local German literary culture as a crucial model during the formation of Latvia’s national discourse in the latter half of the century. Ultimately, the study argues that 19th-century Latvian literature – which was situated between translation, imitation, adaptation and originality – constitutes a uniquely productive transitional phenomenon. It merits continued scholarly attention and necessitates the incorporation of Latvian-language texts by Baltic Germans into a broader, integrated framework of Baltic and Eastern-Central European literary history.