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 in
oil shale
Oil shale is an organic-rich fine-grained sedimentary rock containing kerogen (a solid mixture of organic chemical compounds) from which liquid hydrocarbons can be produced. In addition to kerogen, general composition of oil shales constitut ...
mining at
Kohtla-Järve
Kohtla-Järve is a city and municipality in northeastern Estonia, founded in 1924 and incorporated as a town in 1946. The city is highly industrial, and is both a processor of oil shales and is a large producer of various petrochemical products ...
. During that time he wrote poetry which was published in the literary magazine '' Looming'' (''Creation''), then edited by
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.gymnasium (secondary school) 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 ...
. After his graduation he studied 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 ...
from 1926 to 1934.
After 1928, Talvik dedicated himself more and more to poetry. In 1934, after the publication of the poetry collection ''Palavik'' (''Fever''), he became one of the most famous Estonian poets and a member of the writers group '' Arbujad'' (''Shaman''). The circle included the poet
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 ...
, who married Talvik in 1937.Heiti Talvik: A Time Bomb by Hannes Varblane at Estonian Literature information Center
With the occupation of Estonia by the Soviet Union, Heiti Talvik was deported to
Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...
in May 1945, never to be heard of again. He probably died in July 1947 as a consequence of the deportation, the location of his grave being unknown.