In the broad tradition of the Latvian historical novel, which has flourished in recent decades, the authors have a strong tendency to focus either on ancient history up to the 13th century or on events important to the Latvian nation in the 19th and 20th centuries. Writers are less interested in the era of humanism in the 16th and 17th centuries when the Latvian nation is still sprouting in the ground. However, these centuries have been crucial in defining the region’s geopolitical affiliation and cultural boundaries. From a broader diachronic view at Latvian novels, it can be stated that a number of Latvian writers, starting from the beginning of the 20th century, have tried to give a textual life to the humanist era in Livonia with various approaches to the historical novel thus creating a special set of texts to be called the Livonian text. Within the framework of this article, the view on the Livonian text consists of a review of 8 novels that have been written over more than a hundred years. They are not all texts on the subject but form a compact and representative sample in terms of theme, stylistics, and genre features. These texts are Andrievs Niedra’s (1871–1942) novel “When the Moon Wears Out” (Kad mēness dilst, 1902), Rutku Tēvs’s (1886–1961) “Rebellious Riga” (Dumpīgā Rīga, 1930) and “Mūksala Brothers” (Mūksalas brāļi, 1934), Astrīda Beināre’s (1937–2016) “Our Lady of Riga Monastery” (Rīgas Dievmātes klosteris, 1993), Aivars Kļavis’s (1953) tetralogy “Beyond the Gate” (Viņpus vārtiem), which consists of the novels “Jester of Adiaminde” (Adiamindes āksts, 2005), “Riga Humpback” (Rīgas kuprītis, 2007), “Ridiculed Soldier” (Piesmietais karavīrs, 2009), “Captives of the Traveling Circus” (Ceļojošā cirka gūstekņi, 2012).
Introduction: Publics and Participation in Early Modern Britain
