August Sang (27 July 1914 – 14 October 1969) was an

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

poet and literary translator.Marcel Cornis-Pope, John Neubauer, ''History of the literary cultures of East-Central Europe: junctures and disjunctures in the 19th and 20th centuries, Volume 2'', John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2004, p34

Life and work

August Sang was born in

Pärnu Pärnu () is the fourth largest city in Estonia. Situated in southwest Estonia, Pärnu is located south of the Estonian capital, Tallinn, and west of Estonia's second largest city, Tartu. The city sits off the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet o ...

, where he graduated from high school in 1932. His parents were Jakob and Akelina Sang (''née'' Mellikov). He was the eldest of three brothers: Ilmar Sang (1916–1995) and Endel Sang (1921–2007). After his military service he studied from 1934 to 1942 at the Philosophical Faculty of the

University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; et, Tartu Ülikool; la, Universitas Tartuensis) is a university in the city of Tartu in Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is the only classical university in the country, and also its biggest ...

. Several times he had to interrupt his studies to earn money. As early as eight years old August Sang wrote his own poetry. Under the pseudonym Injo, he successfully participated in a literary competition run by the youth magazine ''Kevad'' in 1934 with his quick tempoed poem ''Improvisatsioon''. In 1934 he made his debut in the literary arts magazine ''

Looming ''Looming'' is a term found in the study of perception, as it relates directly to psychology. Looming occurs when an object begins moving closer to the eye. As the resulting image becomes increasingly larger on the perceiver's retina, i.e., when ...

''. His collection of poems ''Üks noormees otsib õnne'' was published in 1936, with which he scored his breakthrough. Since that time he also wrote numerous reviews and essays on literature. In the late 1930s, he joined in the literary circle Arbujad which included such prominent early poets and authors as

Bernard Kangro Bernard Kangro (18 September 1910 – 25 March 1994) was an Estonian writer and poet. Education Bernard Kangro was born the son of a farmer, Andres Kangro, and his wife, Minna. He grew up in rather humble circumstances. He attended primary schoo ...

Uku Masing Uku Masing (born Hugo Albert Masing, 11 August 1909 – 25 April 1985) was an Estonian philosopher. He was a significant figure in Estonian religious philosophy. Masing also wrote poetry, mostly on religious issues. Masing authored one novel, ''R ...

Kersti Merilaas Kersti Merilaas ( in Narva – 8 March 1986 in Tallinn) was an Estonian poet and translator. In addition, she wrote poems and prose for children and plays. Early life and education Kersti Merilaas was born Eugenie Moorberg in Narva, Estonia shor ...

Betti Alver Elisabet "Betti" Alver ( in Jõgeva – 19 June 1989 in Tartu), was one of Estonia's most notable poets. She was among the first generation to be educated in schools of an independent Estonia. She went to grammar school in Tartu. Writing S ...

, Mart Raud,

Heiti Talvik Heiti Talvik (9 November 1904 – 18 July 1947) was an Estonian poet. Life and literary career Heiti Talvik's father was a family doctor based in Tartu and his mother was a pianist. In 1923 he left the school early and initially sought work ...

and

Paul Viiding Paul Viiding (22 May 1904 – 27 June 1962) was an Estonian poet, author and literary critic. Born in Valga, to Juhan and Ann Viiding (''née'' Rose), he was the oldest of two children; his sister Linda was born in 1907. He graduated with a de ...

. Sang's second collection of poems ''Müürid'', was published in 1939. In 1936 Sang married the Estonian poet and translator Kersti Merilaas and the couple had a son named Joel Sang in 1950. Sang and Merilaas had both been pivotal members of the Arbujad circle of writers. After the Soviet occupation of Estonia, Sang joined the Soviet Estonia Writers Union in 1945, but he was expelled in 1950. Only in 1955 was Sang permitted by the Soviet authorities to work as a writer again. A year later he re-joined the Writers' Union. He died, aged 55, in

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ' ...

Alongside his literary activities August Sang translated poetry and prose from the German, Russian, French and Czech into Estonian, by authors such as

Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as treat ...

Peter Weiss Peter Ulrich Weiss (8 November 1916 – 10 May 1982) was a German writer, painter, graphic artist, and experimental filmmaker of adopted Swedish nationality. He is particularly known for his plays ''Marat/Sade'' and ''The Investigation'' and hi ...

Maxim Gorky Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (russian: link=no, Алексе́й Макси́мович Пешко́в; – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (russian: Макси́м Го́рький, link=no), was a Russian writer and social ...

Vladimir Mayakovsky Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky (, ; rus, Влади́мир Влади́мирович Маяко́вский, , vlɐˈdʲimʲɪr vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ məjɪˈkofskʲɪj, Ru-Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky.ogg, links=y; – 14 Apr ...

Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It ...

Gottfried Keller Gottfried Keller (19 July 1819 – 15 July 1890) was a Swiss poet and writer of German literature. Best known for his novel '' Green Henry'' (German: ''Der grüne Heinrich'') and his cycle of novellas called ''The People from Seldwyla'' (''Die Leu ...

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...

Egon Erwin Kisch Egon Erwin Kisch (29 April 1885 – 31 March 1948) was an Austrian and Czechoslovak writer and journalist, who wrote in German. He styled himself ''Der Rasende Reporter'' (The Raging Reporter) for his countless travels to the far corners of the g ...

, and

Lion Feuchtwanger Lion Feuchtwanger (; 7 July 1884 – 21 December 1958) was a German Jewish novelist and playwright. A prominent figure in the literary world of Weimar Germany, he influenced contemporaries including playwright Bertolt Brecht. Feuchtwanger's Ju ...

Works

* ''Üks noormees otsib õnne'' (1936) * ''Arbujad: valimik uusimat eesti lüürikat'' (compilation 1938) * ''Heinrich Heine'' (biography, 1938) * ''Müürid'' (1939) * ''Võileib suudlusega'' (1963) * ''Sada laulu'' (selected collection, 1965) * ''Luuletused'' (selected collection, 1970) * ''Väike luuleraamat'' (selected collection, 1971) * ''Laenatud laulud'' (anthology of translations in two volumes, 1973–74) * ''Laulud'' (selected collection, 1977) * ''Emajõe unisel veerel'' (posthumous anthology, 2003)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sang, August 1914 births 1969 deaths People from Pärnu People from the Governorate of Livonia Estonian male poets 20th-century Estonian poets 20th-century male writers University of Tartu alumni Translators of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Soviet poets