Biography.guide
Home › People › Writer › Arvīds Grigulis
Portrait of Arvīds Grigulis

Arvīds Grigulis

1906 – 1989

Latvian writer and poet

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Arvīds Grigulis

Lived 1906 – 1989 (aged 82). Arvīds Grigulis was a Russian writer, poet, literary scholar, translator, university teacher and literary critic.

Arvīds Grigulis (12 October 1906 – 5 October 1989) was a Latvian Soviet writer, poet, playwright and literary scholar.

Biography Grigulis was born in 1906 in the family of a landowner who was formerly a teacher. In 1925, he graduated from Limbaži secondary school. He worked in Riga as a clerk in the Riga post office. His first publication was the poem "Stāst" in the literary supplement "Literature and Life" of the newspaper "Sociāldemokrats" in 1927. He participated in the work of the Workers' Theater and gave lectures on literature at the National University and was a member of the left-wing literary association Zemgalija.

At the same time, he studied natural sciences and law at the University of Latvia, obtaining a law degree. He resumed work at the post office as a clerk.

Grigulis welcomed the Soviet occupation of Latvia in June 1940 and worked in responsible positions in the cultural institutions of the Soviet Latvia. He was editor of the theater repertoire of the Ministry of Public Affairs, responsible secretary of the magazine Karogs and head of the State Fiction Publishing House. From 1941 to 1945 he was the Red Army, serving in the 43rd Guards Rifle Division. From 1942, he was the war correspondent of the front newspaper Latviešu Strēlnieks.

In 1944 he returned to Riga. In 1945, head of the literary supply of the State Supply and Printing Enterprises Board and then head of the literary department of the Drama Theater until 1947. He was a lecturer at the Faculty of Philology from and from 1973 a professor. From 1948 to 1962 he was head of the Department of Latvian Literature. Grigulis also was editor-in-chief of the Script Editorial Board of Riga Film Studio from 1962 to 1967.

Grigulis was buried in the Rainis cemetery in Riga, Latvia.

Works Poems Reportiera piezīmes (1929) Imitācija un sirds (1931) Nogurušo namā (1934) Zemnīcā (1943) Vētrā (1946) Rudens lietus (1966) Vējš dzied ezera vītolos (1968) Otrie gaiļi (1970) Marginālijas angļu valodas vārdnīcā Amerikas ceļojuma laikā (1972) Uz balta zirga (1977) Ar saules puķi pie cepures (1983)

Plays Logs uz priekšpilsētu (1933) Uz kuru ostu? (1945) Kā Garpēteros vēsturi taisīja (1946) Māls un porcelāns (1947) - PSRS Valsts prēmija Kramā ir uguns (1950) Profesors iekārtojas (1953) Karavīra šinelis (1955) Baltijas jūra šalc (1957) Nekur tā neiet kā pasaulē (1959) Savu lodi nedzird (1965) Šekspīrs mazgā traukus (1971)

Essays Vēstules dzejniecei Kamilai (1981) - LPSR Valsts prēmija Labvakar, Kamila! (1984)

Novels Cilvēki dārzā (1940) Kad lietus un vēji sitas logā (1964)

Collected articles Kopoti raksti, 7 sējumos (1963 - 1966)

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
University of Latvia
Awards
Stalin Prize; Order of Lenin; Order of the Red Star; Order of the Badge of Honour; Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd class; Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"; Order of the Red Banner of Labour; Medal "For the Defence of Moscow"

People in Arvīds Grigulis's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Arvīds Grigulis's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Arvīds Grigulis?

Latvian writer and poet (1906-1989)

When was Arvīds Grigulis born?

Arvīds Grigulis was born on 12 October 1906 in Livonia Governorate.

When did Arvīds Grigulis die?

Arvīds Grigulis died on 5 October 1989 in Riga.

What was Arvīds Grigulis's occupation?

Arvīds Grigulis was a writer, poet, literary scholar, translator, university teacher and literary critic.

What nationality was Arvīds Grigulis?

Arvīds Grigulis was Russian.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Arvīds Grigulis

· Wikidata: Q4149454

· DBpedia: Arvīds Grigulis

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Arvīds Grigulis. https://biography.guide/arvids-grigulis/

MLA: "Arvīds Grigulis." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/arvids-grigulis/.

Chicago: "Arvīds Grigulis." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/arvids-grigulis/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:14 UTC