Rainis was the pseudonym of Janis Plieksans (1865 - 1929), a Latvian poet, playwright, translator, and politician. Rainis' works include classic plays and a highly regarded translation of Goethe's Faust. His works had a profound influence on the literary Latvian language, and the ethnic symbolism he employed in his major works has been central to Latvian nationalism. "Uguns un nakts" is a symbolist drama which calls for Latvian independence.