Gert Helbemäe (birth name Gert-Joachim Einborn; 10 November 1913
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 ' ...
– 15 July 1974
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
) was an
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
n writer and journalist. He is known mainly for his
historical novel
Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...
s and short stories.
From 1921 to 1933 he studied in
Tallinn French Lyceum
Tallinn French School or Tallinn French Lyceum ( et, Tallinna Prantsuse Lütseum), is a co-educational comprehensive secondary school in Tallinn, Estonia. It offers primary (years 1-9) and secondary education (years 10-12). Students perform consi ...
.
In 1930s he was an executive editor for several newspapers and magazines: ''Eesti Pildileht'', ''Roheline Post'', ''Film ja Elu''.
In 1944, he fled to Lübeck in Germany. In 1947 he moved to
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. In London, he issued the newspaper '' Eesti Hääl'', and from 1960 was also its editor. He also belonged to the board of the Estonian Writers' Cooperative.
He is buried at
Gunnersbury Cemetery
Gunnersbury Cemetery, also known as Kensington or New Kensington Cemetery, is a cemetery opened in 1929. Although it is owned and managed by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea,
Works
* 1947: short story collection "Vaikija" ('The Silent One')
* 1955: novel "Õekesed" ('The Little Sisters')
* 1957–1958: novel " Sellest mustast mungast I and II ('About that Black Monk', I and II)
* 1960: novel " Ohvrilaev" ('The Ship to Delos')