Poruks, Janis

Born Oct. 1 (13), 1871, in Druviena District; died June 12 (25), 1911, in Tartu. Latvian writer.

Poruks was a journalist whose period of literary productivity covered the years 1895–1905. He helped found Latvian romantic lyric poetry of the early 20th century with his collection Poetry (1906). Poruks’ prose is also romantic. His realistic short stories reflected peasant farm life; examples are “Beggars at the Fair” and “How Runcis Became Runcē.” Poruks criticized the life of the bourgeoisie in such caustically satirical works as Academy for Cooks.