Edvarts Virza (born Jēkabs Eduards Liekna; 27 December 1883, Salgale Parish – 1 March 1940, Riga) was a Latvian writer, poet and translator.

Edvarts Virza was born as Jēkabs Eduards Liekna in Rāceņi homestead, Salgale parish, Courland Governorate on 27 December 1883.

During the First World War, in the summer of 1915 the German Army occupied Kurzeme and invaded Zemgale with little resistance, forcing thousands of Latvians to leave their homes and travel as refugees to Vidzeme or further east to inner Russia.

While in Petersburg he was addressed by members of Latvian Provisional National Council and wrote an extensive analytical article titled Izpostītā Latvija (Devastated Latvia) about the German – Russian war in the Baltic area and the senseless heroism of Latvian soldiers while fighting in a foreign army.

After a pro-German coup in April 1919, Virza traveled from Liepāja by sea to Tallinn and from there to Valka where Latvian military units, still loyal to the Provisional Government, were being organized.

In the autumn of 1919 when the attack of the West Russian volunteer army began Virza lived in Riga and worked on the editorial staff of the military newspaper Latvijas Kareivis (Soldier of Latvia) together with his friend poet Viktors Eglītis and fellow writer Aleksandrs Grīns.

In 1923 Virza became a member of Latvian Farmers' Union and from 1923 until his death in 1940 led the literature section of the party newspaper Brīvā Zeme.