A Latvian poet, author, and translator of the Twentieth Century, she is best known for such poetry collections as The Sea is Burning and Annual Rings. Her short story collections include such titles as Misfortune at Home and Broken Heart on the Board of Honour.
She grew up in a poor family in pre-war Riga, Latvia. BILLE, her famous autobiographical work, details her younger years in Riga.
She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature and was a two-time recipient of the Spidola Award.
Her son, Klavs Elsbergs, also became a famous poet.
She and Romain Gary were fellow Latvian authors.
