Ilze Indrāne (born Undīna Jātniece, 1927) is a teacher, school director, writer, and playwright. Since the end of the 1950s, when her writing was first published and quickly gained popularity, she has been considered one of best Latvian writers of romantic prose, though she also received criticism from the Latvian refugee community for writing according to the Stalin-era principles of “immutable regularity”. Ultimately, Indrāne would win over her critics and become one of the most important contemporary Latvian prose writers, due to her ability to combine depictions of rural life with a lyrical and emotionally profound exploration of one’s inner world. These qualities spoke to readers beyond Latvia and, as a result, her works were translated into the languages of many other nations in the Soviet Union.

Though Indrāne’s works were written during two different periods – during the Soviet occupation and following the restoration of Latvia’s independence – they did not change in any significant way. Independent
 of the political system, at the centre of each book is always the story of an individual, their life and experiences. She is the author of seven novels, four plays and nine books for or about children, as well as many stories, essays, and other works of short prose. Her novel Zemesvēzi dzirdēt (Hearing
the Mole-Cricket; 1984) received the most attention and awards for its portrayal of country life during times of change.