Mati Unt (1 January 1944 Linnamäe, Voore Parish (now Voore, Mustvee Parish),

Jõgeva County Jõgeva County ( et, Jõgeva maakond or ''Jõgevamaa'') is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is situated in eastern part of the country and borders Ida-Viru County to the north-east, Lake Peipus to the east, Tartu County to the south, Viljandi C ...

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 ...

– 22 August 2005,

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

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

essayist An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal ...

and

theatre director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...

Biography

His first novel, written at the age of 18 after having finished high school, was '' Hüvasti, kollane kass'' (Goodbye, Yellow Cat). He completed his education in literature, journalism and philology at 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 ...

. After that, he served as Director of the Vanemuine Theater from 1966 to 1972, held the same position at the Youth Theater until 1991, and then at the

Estonian Drama Theatre The Estonian Drama Theatre ( et, Eesti Draamateater) is a theatre in Tallinn, Estonia. It has the role of a national theatre for Estonia. The Estonia Theatre is located next door. History The building that houses the Estonian Drama Theatre was or ...

until 2003, when he became a freelance writer. Unt was married to television journalist and screenwriter Ela Tomson from 1965, until their divorce in 1973. He 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 ...

in 1966. In 1980, he was named an Honored Writer of the Estonian SSR and, that same year, became one of the signatories to the

Letter of 40 intellectuals The Letter of 40 intellectuals, also The letter of 40 ( et, Neljakümne kiri), originally A public letter from Estonian SSR ( et, Avalik kiri Eesti NSV-st) was a public letter dated October 28, 1980 and posted a week later, in which 40 intellectual ...

. In 2000, was awarded the Order of the White Star In 2005, not long before his death, he became a Professor of liberal arts at the University. He is buried in the

Metsakalmistu Metsakalmistu (meaning ''Forest Cemetery'') is a cemetery in the Pirita district of Tallinn. Metsakalmistu was originally planned to be a public medieval cemetery. Eduard Vilde was the first to be buried in 1933. The original area of the cemet ...

cemetery in Tallinn.

Works

Four successive novels, ''Võlg'' (The Debt, 1964), ''Elu võimalikkusest kosmoses'' (On the possibility of life in space, 1967), ''Kuu nagu kustuv päike'' (The moon like the outgoing sun, 1971), and ''Must mootorrattur'' (The Black Motorcyclist, 1976) established his reputation as a major writer. In addition, he was instrumental in bringing avant-garde theatre to post-Soviet Estonia. Several of his novels have been adapted for film since his death, including ''Sügisball'' (" Autumn Ball") in 2007 by Veiko Õunpuu.

English Translations

* ''Things in the night''. (''Öös on asju'', 1990) Translated by Eric Dickens. Normal, IL:

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 ...

, 2006. * ''Diary of a blood donor''. (''Doonori meelespea'', 1990) Translated by Ants Eert. Champaign, IL:

, 2008. * ''Brecht at night''. (''Brecht ilmub öösel'', 1996) Translated by Eric Dickens. Champaign, IL:

, 2009. * "An Empty Beach" ("Tühirand", 1972) in ''The Dedalus Book of Estonian Literature''. Edited by Jan Kaus and translated by Eric Dickens. Sawtry:

Dedalus Books Dedalus Books is a British publishing company specialising in European literature. As stated on their website, Dedalus specialises in "its own distinctive genre, which we term distorted reality, where the bizarre, the unusual and the grotesque ...

, 2011.

References

External links

Obituary by Eric Dickens
1944 births 2005 deaths People from Mustvee Parish Estonian male novelists Estonian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Estonian novelists 20th-century dramatists and playwrights Male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century male writers Burials at Metsakalmistu Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 3rd Class {{Estonia-writer-stub