Born: 10 October 1845, Latvia
Died: 8 December 1903
Country most active: Latvia
Also known as: NA
The following is excerpted from “400 Outstanding Women of the World and the Costumology of Their Time” by Minna Moscherosch Schmidt, published in 1933.
Marija Peksen was the first Latvian woman playwright. In 1890 she became well known through her play Gertrude, the production of which was a great event in the artistic life of that time. In the play, the psychological atmosphere and social position of the Latvian (Lettish) woman as an intellectual worker is depicted. The play received a prize and had favorable criticisms. “With the hand of the artist and a keen feeling the author has lifted the veil of the secret of life.” This play was followed by several others which picture the last period of the national awakening, and even in our days, have not lost their cultural and historical importance. Our information as to the life of Marija Peksen, is but scant. She was born on September 28, 1845, in the Mazsalacas district of the province of Livonia. She received her education at the municipal school of Valmiera (Wolmar).
All her life she worked as a teacher in Livonian townlets. The well-known Latvian bibliographer, Janis Missins, characterizes her in the following words: “Marija Peksen worked for the weal of her nation and in the spirit of her age. She was the first Latvian woman playwright, a great patriot, and wholly devoted herself to her people.”