Ilmar Taska (born May 21, 1953, in Vyatka) is an Estonian filmmaker and writer, who was writer and producer for

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

movie ''

Back in the USSR "Back in the U.S.S.R." is a song by the English rock band the Beatles and the first track of the 1968 double album ''The Beatles'' (also known as the "White Album"). Written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership, ...

'' (1992) and producer for '' Candles in the Dark'' directed by Maximilian Schell. Ilmar Taska's 2016 novel ''Pobeda 1946'' has been translated into many languages and was nominated for the Jarl Hellemann Translation Prize in Finland as best translated book of the year (translated by Jouko Vanhanen). Ilmar Taska was born in Russia, where his family had been sent from Estonia by Stalin's repressions before WW2. Ilmar Taska grew up and went to school in

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 ...

where he won a

Noorte Hääl ''Noorte Hääl'' (meaning ''Voice of Youth'' in English) was a daily newspaper published in Estonia between 1940 and 1995. History Before the independence of Estonia ''Noorte Hääl'' was owned by the Estonian branch of the Komsomol, the Leni ...

youth literary prize. Ilmar Taska graduated (MA) from Moscow Film Institute (

VGIK The Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (russian: Всероссийский государственный институт кинематографии имени С. А. Герасимова, meaning ''All-Russian State Institute of Cinemat ...

). Taska gained prominence as an international film and theatre figure working in Estonia, Sweden and the United States. He was one of the organisers of the American Soviet Entertainment Summit in Hollywood, Moscow and Rockefeller Estate and New York. Ilmar Taska founded

Kanal 2 Kanal 2 is a privately owned Estonian television channel. Its literal name in English is "Channel 2". The channel was established by Ilmar Taska. The channel began broadcasting on 1 October 1993. History The channel started broadcasting on O ...

, the first independent television network and still the market leader in Estonia. In 2011 he made his debut into the literary world with an autobiographical novella ''Parem kui elu'', ''(Better than Life)'', which was published in Denmark by Jensen & Dalgaard in 2017. In 2014 he won the annual literature prize in Estonia for his short story ''Pobeda'', which formed the basis for his novel ''Pobeda 1946''. His 2014 short story collection, ''Skönare än livet'' ''(More Beautiful than Life)'' was published in Sweden. A short story, ''Apartment for Rent'', was included in the anthology '' Best European Fiction 2016'', published by

Dalkey Archive Press Dalkey Archive Press is an American publisher of fiction, poetry, foreign translations and literary criticism specializing in the publication or republication of lesser-known, often avant-garde works. The company has offices in Funks Grove, Il ...

. In 2016 his novel ''Pobeda 1946'' (A Car Called Victory) was a critical success in Estonia. It topped Estonia's bestseller list of fiction for several months. It was published in Finnish by WSOY- Bonnier Books Finland; in German by Kommode Verlag; and in Lithuanian by Homo Liber in 2017. It was released in English by Norvik Press in 2018. His second novel, ''Elüüsiumi kutse'' (The Call of Elysium) was published in 2021. Ilmar Taska's short stories have been translated into English, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Latvian, Russian, Chinese and Bulgarian. Ilmar Taska is an Estonian writer considered international in terms of his work, his talent reaching beyond the boundaries of conventional writing.

References

External links

Official website

Pobeda

Ilmar Taska. Pobeda

Writers

Ilmar TaskaIMDb

News.err
Book review: Ilmar Taska, 'Pobeda 1946'. Imbi Paju. 24.10.2017

Elokuvatuottaja ja tv-mies teki romaanin 1940-luvun punaterrorista – Yhdysvalloista palannut Ilmar Taska loikkasi voimalla Viron kirjallisuuteen. Suvi Ahola. 29.04.2017

Ilmar Taskan esikoisromaanissa jokainen joutuu neuvostojärjestelmän uhriksi. Antti Majander. 24.05.2017

Kirjailija Ilmar Taska koki Neuvostoliiton sosialismin ja Hollywoodin kimalluksen – ”Ei saanut olla lyhyempi tai pidempi kuin muut”. Samuli Launonen. 10.05.2017
Etelä-Saimaa
Viro on pieni poika. Mikko Jämsén. 11.12.2017 {{DEFAULTSORT:Taska, Ilmar 1953 births Living people Estonian film producers Estonian male novelists Estonian screenwriters 21st-century Estonian novelists Estonian male short story writers