Melānija Vanaga was born on September 4, 1905, at the homestead "Kalna Sermuļi" in Drabeši parish.

She worked at a court, and as a journalist in newspapers Brīvā Zeme and Daugavas Vēstnesis, as well as the Latvian Radio.

She worked as a herder in the kolhozs in the vicinity of Cēsis, where she started collecting local histories, stories, documents, and photos.

She was awarded the Order of the Three Stars and the Eduards Veidenbaums Prize in Literature in 1994 for her book Tēvu cilts (The Tribe of Fathers).

[1] In 2016, director Viesturs Kairišs released a biopic film "The Chronicles of Melanie" based on her book "Suddenly, a Criminal".