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Nāves ēnā

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Novele “Nāves ēnā” ir viens no R. Blaumaņa izcilākajiem literārajiem darbiem. Ierosmi tā tapšanai rakstniekam sniedza laikrakstā “Mājas Viesis” publicēta ziņa par jūrā ierautu ledus gabalu, uz kura atradušies nelaimē nokļuvuši zvejnieki. R. Blaumanis konkrēto situāciju izmantojis, lai veidotu mākslinieciski vispārinātu vēstījumu par cilvēku pieredzi ekstremālos apstākļos.

Novele “Nāves ēnā” sarakstīta koncentrētā laika posmā 1899. gada novembrī. Tās pirmpublicējums bija žurnāla “Mājas Viesa Mēnešraksts” 1899. gada 12. numurā.

70 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1899

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252 people want to read

About the author

Rūdolfs Blaumanis

71 books37 followers
Rūdolfs Kārlis Leonīds Blaumanis bija latviešu prozaiķis, dramaturgs un žurnālists. Viņa darbi ir tulkoti angļu, vācu, lietuviešu, somu, igauņu, ungāru, ukraiņu, krievu valodā. Pēc vairāku viņa darbu motīviem ir tikušas uzņemtas kinofilmas. R. Blaumaņa populārākie darbi ir novele "Nāves ēnā", lugas "Skroderdienas Silmačos" un "Indrāni" un dzejolis "Tālavas taurētājs".

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5 stars
198 (28%)
4 stars
294 (41%)
3 stars
168 (23%)
2 stars
38 (5%)
1 star
9 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
Profile Image for Kristīne Līcis.
606 reviews77 followers
November 13, 2021
Nebiju plānojusi 2021.gada novembra latviešu lasīšanu sākt ar "Nāves ēnā", kur nu vēl pirmdienas vakarā, bet tik ilgi priecājos par savu 1937.gada "Zelta ābeles" "noveles no Rudolfa Blaumaņa" izdevumu ar "Marijas Mucenieks gravējumiem vaŗā un grafisko ietērpu", ka mazā grāmatiņa pati izlasījās.

Noveles emocionālā intensitāte izsit visus korķus, un var tikai apbrīnot, cik izteiksmīgi vien ar dažiem teikumiem Blaumanis nodod situācijas šausmas un uz atlūzušā ledus gabala stāvošo zvejnieku bezcerīgo nolemtību. "Viņi visi zināja, ka tie ar katru acumirkli tālāk aizpeldēja prom, ne tikai vien no jūŗas krasta, bet arī no dzīves." Tikpat trāpīgi ir arī attiecību dinamikas un psiholoģisko īpatnību apraksti, ir tiešām labi jāpazīst cilvēki, lai varētu tik kodolīgi ilustrēt valdošo gaisotni. "Visi apklusa un neviens neskatījās otram acīs, jo lielā nelaimē cilvēks kaunas tāpat kā lielā negodā." Un tad vēl krāšņie personāži, meistarīgā sižeta veidošana un arvien pieaugošā spriedze. Kad šķiet, ka vairs nebūs nekā dramatiskāka par asiņu dzeršanu, tad autors piedāvā izlozēt cerību.

"Nekas mūs tā nepaceļ un turklāt neievaino, kā citu sāpes par mūsu likteni."
Profile Image for Liva's reading antics.
387 reviews28 followers
November 14, 2020
Neticami, ka no skolas laikiem neko neatceros par šo noveli. Prātā palicis tikai tas, ka fragments bija atrodams literatūras grāmatā. Neatceros kāpēc to neizlasīju, vai arī izlasīju tik pavirši, ka ne nieka nav aizķēries.

Novele ir par zvejnieku piedzīvojumiem nonākot uz dreifējoša ledus gabala Baltijas jūrā, kur tie pavada vairākas dienas cenšoties izdzīvot ar pieejamiem resursiem un gaidot.

Apbrīnas vērts, kā autors 70 lapaspušu garumā spējis tik vienkārši, bet aizkustinoši atainot vēstījumu par cilvēka pieredzi nelaimē. Lai tiktu no vāka līdz vākam vajadzīgas vien nieka pārdesmit minūtes, bet lai apdomātu visu novelē rakstīto vajag daudz ilgāku laiku. Izcili uzrakstīts.
Profile Image for Claire.
816 reviews369 followers
October 1, 2020
A short story from 1899, this is the third in a series I've read and the one I've enjoyed the most so far. It's about a group of fishermen who have been fishing on an ice floe, who neglect to notice that the ice has moved away from the shore, until it is too late.

Stranded, as the ice moves further out to sea and begins to break up, they divide into groups, discuss what they will do and form allegiances. The author observes the different interactions and conversations between the men and the one boy present, presenting their differing responses to a potential human tragedy.

The ending turns things around and it is as if it is the reader, now being observed by the author.
Profile Image for Monta.
18 reviews2 followers
May 13, 2023
Jutos tukša pēc beigām😭
Profile Image for Agris Fakingsons.
Author 5 books153 followers
March 25, 2022
..naktī izrāvu cauri. nezināju, vai nebūs slikti gulēt, zinot stāstu (no filmas). lasot visu laiku domāju par to, cik mūsdienās tā problēma būtu viegli atrisināma (jo visiem telefoni utt.) un to, cik ēdelīgi šie uz tā ledus bija – visu laiku tikai "vajag ēst!".
Profile Image for Daisy May Johnson.
Author 3 books198 followers
December 20, 2020
[I am very grateful to my friends at Latvian Literature for securing me a review copy of this. As ever, my opinion is my own. I'd not be writing this if it weren't...]

First published in 1899 and based on a then contemporary newspaper account of several fisherman who were lost at sea after the ice floe they were on broke away, In The Shadow Of Death by Rūdolfs Blaumanis is pretty much the perfect short story. It is a quick read and yet, in many senses, not; I keep looking at it and wondering just how it does what it does. It's like one of those pebbles you drop into water, the ripples echo out from it and the landscape is forever changed by its presence. A big book, a little book, a haunting book. A good book, yes.

Blaumanis is new to me and I didn't know who he was or what to expect of him. And so, if you're like me, here's some facts from the edition itself. Blaumanis (1863-1908) is "noted especially for his numerous short stories and plays, and for his command of literary realism". Later it talks about how "energised by the social issues of the day, he honed a deep sympathy for the lives of ordinary Latvians". And that's a really good point to link back to In The Shadow Of Death itself, it's a story of the everyday person. The people who make the world turn - the people who carry out their jobs because they have to, and who deal with all of the dangers and difficulties that simply living may bring. This is such a tense, unnerving story because it feels so real. So immediate. So brutally matter-of-fact.

Blaumanis writes with an incredible restraint, and reminded me in many ways of Hemingway's frank directness. There's also a hint of Virginia Woolf in here, that nuanced, deep eye for style and structure and theme; these are characters that you get to know very briefly but intimately somehow, people made flesh and truth in a moment of a paragraph. It's so subtle this book and so clever, so small and yet so, so big.

My thanks again to the team at Latvian Literature for hooking me up with a review copy.
Profile Image for Eileen.
182 reviews1 follower
March 12, 2021
Interesanti, ka neatceros šo stāstu, jo tā bija obligātā literatūra pamatskolas laikā. Varbūt arī tāpēc, ka šī grāmata noteikti nav piemērota tik jauniem cilvēkiem, kas piespiesti lasīt un izrakstīt tikai mākslinieciskos izteiksmes līdzekļus. Varbūt šis stāsts labāk būtu palicis atmiņā, ja runātu par tā patieso vēstījumu... lai nu kā, bija interesanti izlasīt šo noveli pēc tik ilgiem gadiem un nu jau ar citu prātu!
Profile Image for Sisī.
235 reviews38 followers
December 31, 2025
Iespaidīgi, Blaumanis ir meistars.
Profile Image for Maxime.
4 reviews1 follower
October 14, 2025
Nouvelle cool mais très courte et fin un peu expéditive apparement y’a un film soviétique qui développe un peu cet aspect là ça doit être pas mal
Profile Image for Dane Cobain.
Author 22 books322 followers
July 21, 2018
Translated from Latvian into English by Uldis Balodis, this beautiful little book is basically a classic short story by a Latvian writer who was writing in the language at a time before the country was officially formed. It’s good!

Profile Image for Janelle Bailey.
831 reviews16 followers
March 21, 2022
14: In the Shadow of Death by Rudolfs Blaumanis...

...and as picked up after researching literature of Ukraine and the surrounding areas.

This is really a short story, published as a full-length work. And it is not a long or difficult read, but it is difficult to read of the men out on a sizeable ice chunk, with their horses, their fish, and each other but very little food or drink or a plan to remain "at sea" as they are or at this time. But the ice breaks away from the shore and then the big slab into two pieces as well, and these men are forced to confront their needs as well as their willingness to work well with, help, assist, care for and/or about each other.

It is, in interesting ways a very micro-Lord of the Flies but much, much shorter and with mostly grown/older men as just some of the difference in details.

I'd read it again and would love to discuss it with someone.
Profile Image for Sébastien Gobert.
Author 6 books2 followers
November 6, 2024
Un groupe de pêcheurs se retrouve isolé sur une plaque de glace dérivant au large des côtes. La petite communauté improvisée doit organiser sa survie et se chercher des moyens de tromper la mort qui pourtant est déjà présente et attend patiemment. Et même quand une chance de salut se présente, elle parviendra à prélever son tribut.

Cette nouvelle, classique de la littérature lettone, est un guide de la fin de vie, une histoire poignante de simplicité et d'humilité. Elle établit avec finesse une distinction entre le fatalisme et l'acceptation de son sort.

Traduction magistrale de Nicolas Auzanneau.
Profile Image for Nils Fiskovičs.
11 reviews
June 27, 2025
“Kad kaut kur kāds bij sagriezis roku, pārcirtis kāju, no mašīnas ticis salauzts, noslīcis, tad puisis vienmēr to bija dzirdējis ar apziņu, ka viņu nekad nepiemeklēs šādas likstas.”

Tā drošība ar kuru dzīvojam un klausāmies citu nelaimēs ir tikai ilūzija, taču to apzināmies tikai, kad tas jau ir noticis.
69 reviews3 followers
April 3, 2022
3 novelas de um autor desconhecido até há poucos dias. A novela favorita foi 'Andrikson', centrada num rendeiro e no conde proprietário das terras. A 'Sombra da Morte' e 'A Viúva de Raudups' completam este pequeno livro. A escrita e as histórias têm traços da literatura do final do século XIX.
Profile Image for Yvonna Sherlock.
Author 1 book6 followers
January 27, 2018
Really good dark story. I read Nāves Ēnā when I was 16 and it inspired me to want to write.
Profile Image for Laine.
22 reviews9 followers
Read
July 19, 2025
Tieši tikpat dramatiski kā atcerējos no skoliņas.
8/10 Netflix material
Profile Image for Syd ⭐️.
521 reviews2 followers
July 23, 2024
Imagine knowing you’re going to die. This book captured that dread, fear, and nostalgia in less than a hundred pages. I adored it.
Profile Image for cerys jones.
72 reviews2 followers
August 27, 2024
more latvian literature!!! this was really brutal and made me sad on the train. POOR LITTLE BOY
Profile Image for Nauris.
49 reviews
March 13, 2025
Interesanta ideja, varētu būt garāka grāmata, bet ir labi. Saprotams kāpēc klasika.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews

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