Ilze Indrāne

Ilze Indrāne (born Undīna Jātniece, 1927) is a teacher, school director, writer, and playwright. Since the end of the 1950s, when her writing was first published and quickly gained popularity, she has been considered one of best Latvian writers of romantic prose, though she also received criticism from the Latvian refugee community for writing according to the Stalin-era principles of “immutable regularity”. Ultimately, Indrāne would win over her critics and become one of the most important contemporary Latvian prose writers, due to her ability to combine depictions of rural life with a lyrical and emotionally profound exploration of one’s inner world. These qualities spoke to readers beyond Latvia and, as a result, her works were translated into the languages of many other nations in the Soviet Union.

Though Indrāne’s works were written during two different periods – during the Soviet occupation and following the restoration of Latvia’s independence – they did not change in any significant way. Independent
 of the political system, at the centre of each book is always the story of an individual, their life and experiences. She is the author of seven novels, four plays and nine books for or about children, as well as many stories, essays, and other works of short prose. Her novel Zemesvēzi dzirdēt (Hearing
the Mole-Cricket; 1984) received the most attention and awards for its portrayal of country life during times of change.

Prose

Divpadsmit logi [Twelve Windows] (2012)
Dievsunīši [God Dogs] (2007)
Putnu stunda [Bird Hour] (1996)
Zemesvēzi dzirdēt [Hearing the Mole-Cricket] (1984)
Aisma (1980)
Ūdensnesējs [Watter Carrier] (1971)
Basām kājām [Barefoot] (1970)
Maize [Bread] (1966)
Cepure ar kastaņiem [Chestnut Cap] (1966)
Lazdu laipa [Hazeldock] (1963)
Dzirkstis [Sparkles] (1959)

Plays

Dzeguzīte gadus skaita [Cuckoo Counts Years] (1987)
Tilts [Bridge] (1961)

Children's literature

Baltā stunda [The White Hour] (2008)
Slotu karalis [King of Brooms] (1990)
Meklēju zēnu ar zaļām acīm [Looking for a Boy with Green Eyes] (1975)
Anemone (1974)
Pirmās klases pasakas [Fairy-tales for the first grade] (1970)
Cīņa ar milzi [Fight with a Giant] (1969)
Labā diena [The Good Day] (1967)
Kur ir tāda egle [Where is such a spruce] (1964)
Tipsis, Topsis un Tedis [Tipsy, Topsy and Teddy] (1960)

About Ilze Indrāne // LA.lv, 2020 [LV]

About a documentary project about Ilze Indrāne // Diena.lv, 2020 [LV]

About Twelve Windows // Delfi.lv, 2012 [LV]

Biruta Sūrmane, Daudzšķautņains romāns, review of Bird Hour // Jaunā Gaita, nr. 209, 1997 [LV]

2012, Order of the Three Stars 

1985, Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic Award for Hearing the Mole-Cricket 

1984, Eduards Veidenbaums Award for Hearing the Mole-Cricket 

1974, Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic Award for Achievement in Culture

1965, Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic Award for Hazeldock