Anna Krisjanovna Brigadere

Born Sept. 19 (Oct. 1), 1861, in the khutor (farmstead) of Ballas, Kalmnamujžis Volost (small rural district), in present-day Tukums Raion; died June 24, 1933, in Sprīdīšos, now in Dobele Raion. Latvian writer. Studied at the Higher School for Women in Riga.

Brigadere wrote fairy-tale plays filled with optimism, including Tom Thumb (1903), Princess Gundega and King Brussubarda (1912), Maija and Paija (1922), and Lolita’s Fire-Bird (1927). She also wrote poetry and short stories. Her autobiographical Trilogy (1926-32) depicts the life of a peasant girl at the end of the 19th century. Brigadere’s works combine realistic depictions of life with religious ideas and the philosophy of submission. There is a Brigadere memorial museum in Sprīdīšos.