Ernests Blanks, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Ernests Blanks

Latvian writer

Date of Birth: 13-Sep-1894

Place of Birth: Braslava Parish, Aloja Municipality, Latvia

Date of Death: 31-Jan-1972

Profession: writer, politician, journalist

Nationality: Latvia

Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Ernests Blanks (13 September [O.S.
1 September] 1894 in Braslava, Valmiera County, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire – 31 January 1972 in Palma, Majorca, Spain), publicist, the first to publicly advocate for Latvia's independence in 1917. Ernests Blanks was editorial writer of Dzimtenes Atbalss (Fatherland's Echo).
At a time when others discussed Latvia's and, the other Baltic countries, autonomy, Ernests Blanks dared to demand sovereignty for Latvia.
Already on 21 July [O.S.
8 July] 1917 Ernests Blanks unequivocally wrote: "Our ideal is a sovereign Latvia." After the state of Latvia had been established he reminded that the Latvians had regained their long lost freedom.
For some time he was a deputy of the first Parliament Tautas Padome, which preceded the Saeima.
He wrote about the Saeima, but mostly about the Latvian National Awakening and its activists.
He was one of them, although discreet about his own role.
The author of about 700 editorials on Latvian national political issues (alone), and at least 15 books, several of which have appeared in 2nd and 3rd editions.
Ernests Blanks devoted his life to defending the sovereignty of the state of Latvia with his pen.
Thus, during the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, he was a persona non grata in his own fatherland.