He actively participated in cultural life of Russian students especially in literary evenings where he often discussed with futurists and imaginists.

In February 1920 Čaks was drafted in Soviet Red army and became organizer of cultural and political life in a military hospital.

In 1928 Čaks established literary magazine Jauno Lira for young Latvian writers and poets.

In addition to that he worked as technical editor in Association of Latvian Riflemen, where he helped to publish a collection of documents and memories entitled Latviešu strēlnieki.

Inspired by memories of the riflemen he wrote collection of epic poems Mūžības Skartie for which he got the A. Brigadere prize in 1939.

After the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940, Čaks was criticized for anti-soviet undertones in several poems from Mūžības Skartie.

In 1949, with Latvia being a part of the Soviet Union, Čaks was accused of straying from Marxist values and writing politically incorrect works.

These poems included topics and characters previously not depicted in Latvian poetry – city night life, homeless people, prostitutes, poor suburbs, even the sewers in blockhouses.

Riga is not the only subject of his poems, though – Čaks also wrote romantic poetry and works dedicated to the Latvian riflemen.