Narva
Narva, russian: Нарва is a municipality and city in Estonia. It is located in Ida-Viru county, at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, on the west bank of the Narva river which forms the Estonia–Russia international border. With 54 ...
– 8 March 1986 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 '' ...
) 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 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
Narva, russian: Нарва is a municipality and city in Estonia. It is located in Ida-Viru county, at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, on the west bank of the Narva river which forms the Estonia–Russia international border. With 54 ...
, Estonia shortly before the outbreak of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. She spent her early childhood in
St. Petersburg, Russia
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
with her mother, Anna Moorberg and sister. The family returned to Estonia in 1917 because of the turmoil of the Russian Revolution. From 1921 to 1927 she attended school in the village of Kiltsi, then furthered her studies in
Väike-Maarja
Väike-Maarja is a small borough ( et, alevik) in Lääne-Viru County, Estonia. It is the administrative centre of Väike-Maarja Parish.
Väike-Maarja Church was initially built as a fortress church.
Climate
Notable people
* Aile Assz ...
Lääne-Viru County
Lääne-Viru County ( et, Lääne-Viru maakond or ''Lääne-Virumaa'') is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is in northern Estonia, on the south coast of the Gulf of Finland. In Estonian, ''lääne'' means western and ''ida'' means east or easter ...
. In 1932, she completed high school in Tapa, Estonia.
Career
In 1935, she made her literary debut with a collection of poems titled ''Loomingus''.
In 1936, Merilaas married the Estonian writer and translator August Sang (1914–1969) and the couple had a son named Joel Sang in 1950 who would go on to become a poet, literary critic, linguist, translator and publicist.Kiltsi Põhikool
From 1936, Merilaas lived in Tartu, where she was employed as a librarian. She was a member of the influential group of Estonian poets brought together in 1938 by literary scholar
Ants Oras
Ants Oras (8 December 1900 – 21 December 1982) was an Estonian translator and writer.
Oras was born in Tallinn and studied at the University of Tartu, graduating with a Master of Philosophy degree in 1923. He also obtained a Bachelor of Litera ...
who was greatly influenced by T. S. Eliot. The small circle of poets became known as '' Arbujad'' ("Soothsayers") and included Heiti Talvik, Paul Viiding, Betti Alver, Uku Masing and Bernard Kangro That year, her anthology of poetry ''Maantee tuuled'' was published to much critical acclaim, particularly for its lyrical preoccupation with love and nature. Also in 1938 she joined the
Estonian Writers' Union
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
Hist ...
.
After 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 ...
and annexation of Estonia in 1944, Merilaas' work was viewed by authorities as disreputable and promoting "
bourgeois nationalism
In Marxism, bourgeois nationalism is the practice by the ruling classes of deliberately dividing people by nationality, race, ethnicity, or religion, so as to distract them from engaging in class struggle. It is seen as a divide-and-conquer stra ...
". In 1950, Merilaas was forced to resign from the Soviet Writers Association of Estonia. During this time, Merilaas was allowed to continue writing children's literature. In 1960, after the relaxation of Soviet authorities, Merilaas was again permitted to write literature for adults.
Besides poetry and prose, Merilaas wrote
libretti
A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major l ...
for three operas by Estonian composer
Gustav Ernesaks
Gustav Ernesaks (12 December 1908 – 24 January 1993) was an Estonian composer and a choir conducting, conductor.
Biography
Ernesaks was born in Perila, Peningi Parish. He played an integral role in the Singing Revolution and was one of the ...
and translated
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
Georg Christoph Lichtenberg
Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1 July 1742 – 24 February 1799) was a German physicist, satirist, and Anglophile. As a scientist, he was the first to hold a professorship explicitly dedicated to experimental physics in Germany. He is remembered for ...
and
Johann Wolfgang von 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 t ...
into the
Estonian language
Estonian ( ) is a Finnic language, written in the Latin script. It is the official language of Estonia and one of the official languages of the European Union, spoken natively by about 1.1 million people; 922,000 people in Estonia and 160, ...
.
Merilaas died 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 '' ...
, Estonia in 1986 at the age of 72.
Selected works
Poetry
*''Loomingus'' (1935)
*''Maantee tuuled'' (1938)
*''Rannapääsuke'' (1963)
*''Kevadised koplid'' (1966)
*''Kuukressid'' (1969)
*''Antud ja võetud'' (1981)
Children's Books
*''Munapühad'' (1940)
*''Kallis kodu'' (collection of poems, 1944)
*''Päikese paistel'' collection of poems (1948)
*''Turvas'' (1950)
*''Veskilaul'' (1959)
*''Lugu mustast ja valgest'' (1962)
*''Lumest lumeni'' (1982)
*''Kui vanaema noor oli'' (poetry anthology, 1983)
*''Kindakiri. – Варежки'' (poem in Estonian and
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
, 1986)
*''Siit siiani. Piksepill'' (collection of poems, 1989. Posthumous)
Plays
*''Kaks viimast rida'' (1973)
*''Pilli-Tiidu'' (1974)
*Kiin, Sirje: ''Kersti Merilaas: luuletaja elu.'' (in Estonian). Eesti Raamat. Tallinn 1989
*Hasselblatt, Cornelius: ''Geschichte der estnischen Literatur.'' (in German). Walter de Gruyter. Berlin, New York. 2006.