Aspazija

Elza Johanna Emilija Lizete Pliekšāne (née Elza Rozenberga; 16 March 1865 – 5 November 1943), known by her pen name Aspazija, was a Latvian poet and playwright. Aspazija is the Latvian transliteration of Aspasia.

Biography Aspazija was born and raised in a wealthy peasant family in the Dobele county of Courland Governorate near Jelgava in 1865, where she studied and was active in youth organizations. She left the gymnasium during the last year of her studies, and in 1886, married Wilhelm Max Valter. Later, she became interested in literature, mainly by German authors. Her first publication appeared in 1887 in the newspaper Dienas Lapa. In 1891, she divorced her husband and, until 1893, worked as a private teacher in Jaunsvirlauka. In 1893, she settled in Riga and started to work as a journalist. In 1894, her first plays Vaidelote and Zaudētās tiesības were staged in Riga.