Latvian

Noun

daiļliteratūra f (4th declension)

1. literature (form of art that expresses itself via language, via the creation of literary texts)

   daiļliteratūras žanri‎ ― literary genres

   daiļliteratūras paveidi‎ ― literary, fiction types

   daiļliteratūras darbi‎ ― literary works, works of fiction

   mūsu dienās izšķir daiļliteratūru, zinātnisko literatūru, politisko literatūru, tehnisko literatūru...‎ ― nowadays one distinguishes (artistic) literature, scientific literature, political literature, technical literature...

   katrā daiļliteratūras darbā atspoguļoti zināmi apstākļi, kuros dzīvo un darbojas tēli‎ ― in every work of literature (= literary fiction) the known circumstances in which the characters live and act are reflected

2. literature, fiction (the works of art produced by writers)

   oriģinālā daiļliteratūra‎ ― original fiction

   tulkotā daiļliteratūra‎ ― translated fiction

   iepazīties ar jaunāko daiļliteratūru‎ ― to become acquainted with the latest fiction

   viņa aizgūtnēm lasīja daiļliteratūru‎ ― she eagerly read fiction

Declension

Usage notes

Daiļliteratūra refers to artistic literature, to literature as art, while literatūra has a broader meaning that can include non-artistic writings ("technical literature", "juridical literature", etc.). As for the term rakstniecība, it refers more properly to the activity of writing itself, i.e. the writer's craft.