The Estonian Writers Union (Eesti Kirjanike Liit, abbreviated EKL), is a professional association of Estonian writers and literary critics.Marje Jõeste, Küllo Arjakas, ''The Baltic States'', Estonian Encyclopaedia Publishers, 1991, page 64
History
The Estonian Writers Union was founded on 8 October 1922 under the name ''Eesti Kirjanike Liit'' at the 3rd Congress of Estonian writers held at the
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 ' ...
Town Hall. One of its founding members was the poet
Anna Haava
Anna Haava (born Anna Rosalie Haavakivi; 15 October 1864 – 13 March 1957) was an Estonian poet, writer and translator in the late 19th and 20th centuries. She was one of the founding members of the Estonian Writers' Union in 1922. She was honour ...
. On 27 April 1923, the association began the publication of the monthly 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 ...
'' ("Creation"), which is one of the most important literary magazines in Estonia. In 1927 the association expanded to Tartu with the opening of a branch there.
With the
Soviet occupation
During World War II, the Soviet Union occupied and annexed several countries effectively handed over by Nazi Germany in the secret Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 1939. These included the eastern regions of Poland (incorporated into two different ...
of Estonia, the Estonian Writers Union was dissolved on 19 October 1940. The occupation authorities launched the ''Estonian Soviet Writers Union'' (Eesti Nõukogude Kirjanike Liit), on 8th or 9 October 1943 in Moscow. From 1958 it was called ''Writers Union of the Estonian SSR'' (Eesti NSV Kirjanike Liit) and was active until the end of the Soviet Union.
During the
German occupation of Estonia during World War II
During World War II, in the course of Operation Barbarossa, Nazi Germany invaded Estonia in July–December 1941, and occupied the country until 1944. Estonia had gained independence in 1918 from the then warring German and Russian Empires. How ...
from 1941 to 1944, the original Estonian writers' association unofficially continued its work. In 1945, the ''International Estonian Writers Union'' (Välismaine Eesti Kirjanike Liit) was founded in Stockholm as the organization of exiled Estonian writers as a counter organization to the ''Soviet Estonia Writers Union''.
With the restoration of Estonian independence came the restoration of free expression and press freedom in Estonia, the association in Estonia was renamed Estonian Writers Union in 1991. The International Association merged with the Estonian Writers Union in October 2000.
Currently, the Estonian Writers Union has 302 members (as of July 2007). Its headquarters is located in the Old Town of
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 ' ...
and has a branch in Tartu. Estonian Writers Association also has a summer house in
Käsmu
Käsmu (german: Kaspervik, ) is a village in Haljala Parish, Lääne-Viru County, in northern Estonia, (retrieved 28 July 2021) on the territory of Lahemaa National Park. It's located northwest of Võsu, on the Käsmu Peninsula in the Gulf of Fi ...
on the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
, which is regularly made available for domestic and foreign writers.
Chairmen
Estonian Writers Union
*1922–1923
Friedebert Tuglas
Friedebert Tuglas, born Friedebert Mihkelson or Michelson (2 March 1886 – 15 April 1971) was an Estonian writer and critic who introduced Impressionism and Symbolism to Estonian literature.Karl Rumor
*1924–1925 Eduard Hubel
*1925–1927
Friedebert Tuglas
Friedebert Tuglas, born Friedebert Mihkelson or Michelson (2 March 1886 – 15 April 1971) was an Estonian writer and critic who introduced Impressionism and Symbolism to Estonian literature.Henrik Visnapuu
Henrik Visnapuu ( – 3 April 1951) was a well-known Estonian poet and dramatist.
Life
Henrik Visnapuu was born in Helme Parish, Viljandi County, Livonia. He first attended the village school in Reola (today in Ülenurme Parish) and college in ...
*1929–1930
Friedebert Tuglas
Friedebert Tuglas, born Friedebert Mihkelson or Michelson (2 March 1886 – 15 April 1971) was an Estonian writer and critic who introduced Impressionism and Symbolism to Estonian literature.Eduard Hubel
*1937–1939
Friedebert Tuglas
Friedebert Tuglas, born Friedebert Mihkelson or Michelson (2 March 1886 – 15 April 1971) was an Estonian writer and critic who introduced Impressionism and Symbolism to Estonian literature.August Jakobson
August Jakobson (2 September 1904 – 23 May 1963) was an Estonian writer and politician. He was one of the few Estonian playwright among his contemporaries whose plays were untouched by Soviet censorship and reached other Soviet states. He h ...
*1941–1943
Albert Kivikas
Albert Kivikas ( in Groß-St. Johannis, Livonia, Russian Empire – 19 May 1978 in Lund) was an Estonian writer and journalist. He is best known as the author of the book '' Names in Marble'' ( et, "Nimed marmortahvlil"), the subject of which i ...
*1943–1944
Gustav Suits
Gustav Suits ( in Võnnu, Tartu County, Livonia – 23 May 1956 in Stockholm, Sweden) is considered one of the greatest Estonian poets.W. K. Matthews, ''The Background and Poetry of Gustav Suits. A Study in Estonian Symbolism'', American Slavic a ...
Estonian Writers Union Abroad
*1945–1982
August Mälk
August Mälk (4 October 1900 – 19 December 1987) was an Estonian writer and politician.
Life
August Mälk was born on , in Lümanda Parish in the village of Koovi (then named Kipi-Koovi), located on the west coast of the island of Saare ...
*1982–1999
Kalju Lepik
Kalju Lepik (7 October 1920, in Koeru Parish – 30 May 1999, in Tallinn) was an Estonian poet who lived as an exile for most of his life.
Kalju Lepik published his first poems in 1939 in Tartu students' journals Iloli and Tuleviku Rajad ('The ...
*1999–2000
Enn Nõu
Enn Nõu (born 2 October 1933 in Tallinn) is an Estonian writer.University of Oklahoma, ''World literature today'', Volume 52, University of Oklahoma Press, 1978, p148
Life and work
Nõu was born the son of the Estonian agricultural scientist ...
Soviet Estonia Writers Union/Writers Union of the Estonian SSR
August Jakobson
August Jakobson (2 September 1904 – 23 May 1963) was an Estonian writer and politician. He was one of the few Estonian playwright among his contemporaries whose plays were untouched by Soviet censorship and reached other Soviet states. He h ...
*1946–1950
Johannes Semper
Johannes Semper ( – 21 February 1970) was an Estonian poet, writer, translator and politician.
He was born in Pahuvere (now Viljandi Parish), Kreis Fellin, in the Governorate of Livonia. A student and later a prominent scholar at the Universi ...
*1950–1954
August Jakobson
August Jakobson (2 September 1904 – 23 May 1963) was an Estonian writer and politician. He was one of the few Estonian playwright among his contemporaries whose plays were untouched by Soviet censorship and reached other Soviet states. He h ...
*1954–1971
Juhan Smuul
Juhan Smuul (18 February 1922 – 13 April 1971) was an Estonian writer. Until 1954 he used the given name Johannes Schmuul.
Career
Smuul was born in Koguva village on the island of Muhu to Jüri and Ruudu Schmuul (née Tuulik). He had three ...
*1971–1976
Vladimir Beekman
Vladimir Beekman (23 August 1929 – 3 October 2009) was an Estonian writer, poet and translator.
Early life and education
After completing his primary education, he attended the Tallinn University of Technology and graduated in 1953 with a degre ...
*1976–1983
Paul Kuusberg
Paul Kuusberg (30 April 1916 – 21 January 2003) was an Estonian writer. Novellas by him include “''Roostetanud kastekann''” (1971) and “''Võõras või õige mees''” (1978), which won an award in Estonia.
Biography
Kuusberg was born in ...
*1983–1991
Vladimir Beekman
Vladimir Beekman (23 August 1929 – 3 October 2009) was an Estonian writer, poet and translator.
Early life and education
After completing his primary education, he attended the Tallinn University of Technology and graduated in 1953 with a degre ...
Estonian Writers Union
*1991–1995
Vladimir Beekman
Vladimir Beekman (23 August 1929 – 3 October 2009) was an Estonian writer, poet and translator.
Early life and education
After completing his primary education, he attended the Tallinn University of Technology and graduated in 1953 with a degre ...
*1995–2004
Mati Sirkel
Mati Sirkel (born 12 October 1949) is an Estonian translator and writer.
Career
He was born in Paide. In 1972 he graduated from Tartu State University with a degrees in literary theory and German philology. From 1972 until 1975, he worked as a ...
*2004–2007
Jan Kaus
Jan Kaus (born 22 January 1971) is an Estonian writer.
Life and work
Jan Kaus was born in Aegviidu and studied education and philosophy in Tallinn. In 1995, he took his teacher's examination.
Kaus currently works as poetry and prose write ...
*2007–2016
Karl Martin Sinijärv
Karl Martin Sinijärv (born 4 June 1971) is an Estonian journalist and poet.
Sinijärv was born in Tallinn. By 2011, he had published 8 poetry books and a cookbook. His poetry has been characterized as etnofuturist, bringing estrangement of lan ...
*Since 2016
Tiit Aleksejev
Tiit Aleksejev (born 6 July 1968) is an Estonian novelist and playwright.
Aleksejev was born in Kohtla-Järve. He studied history at the University of Tartu, and served as a diplomat in France and Belgium.
His debut novel was a thriller called ...
Literature
Ülo Tuulik
Ülo Tuulik (born 22 February 1940, in Abruka Island, Saare County) is an Estonian writer.
In 1963 he graduated from Tartu State University in philology. 1964-1966 he was the chairman of Young Authors' Association in Tallinn. Since 1974 he was a ...
(eds): ''Eesti Kirjanikkude Liit 75'', Tallinn 1997
Katrin Raid: ''Loomise lugu. Eesti aeg. Eesti Kirjanikkude Liit 1922–1940''. Tallinn 2002