Toomas Kall (pseudonym Uku-Ralf Tobi; born on 16 October 1947 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 ' ...

) is 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 humorist, caricaturist, writer, scenarist and translator.

Career

1966-1969 he studied history, and 1970-1972 Estonian philology at

Tartu State University 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 1971 until 1978, he worked at the newspaper '' Sirp ja Vasar''. From 1980 until 1987, he worked at

Vanalinnastuudio Vanalinnastuudio (literally 'Old Town Studio') was a theatre in Tallinn, Estonia. The theatre was established in 1980. At the beginning, it operated at Estonian State Philharmony (nowadays Eesti Kontsert). The founder and artistical leader was Ein ...

. From 1990 until 1994, he was the chief editor of the newspaper ''

Sirp ''Sirp'' (English 'sickle') is a newspaper published 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 th ...

''. Since 1994 he is a freelancer. He has also worked as a film and television screenwriter. In 1980, Kall was a signatory of 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 ...

; a public letter in which 40 intellectuals attempted to defend 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 160,0 ...

and expressed their protest against the recklessness of the Republic-level government in dealing with youth protests that were sparked a week earlier due to the banning of a public performance of the band

Propeller A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...

. The real reasons were much more deep-seated, and had to do primarily with the

Russification Russification (russian: русификация, rusifikatsiya), or Russianization, is a form of cultural assimilation in which non-Russians, whether involuntarily or voluntarily, give up their culture and language in favor of the Russian cultur ...

policies of the

Kremlin The Kremlin ( rus, Московский Кремль, r=Moskovskiy Kreml', p=ˈmɐˈskofskʲɪj krʲemlʲ, t=Moscow Kremlin) is a fortified complex in the center of Moscow founded by the Rurik dynasty, Rurik dynasty. It is the best known of th ...

in occupied Estonia.

Awards

* 2006:

Order of the National Coat of Arms The Order of the National Coat of Arms ( et, Riigivapi teenetemärk, french: Ordre du Blason National) was instituted by Konstantin Päts on 7 October 1936 to commemorate 24 February 1918, the day on which Estonian independence was declared. The ...

, IV class.

Works

Screenwritings

* 1973: ''Värvipliiatsid'',

Tallinnfilm Tallinnfilm is the oldest surviving film studio in Estonia. It was founded as Estonian Culture Film in 1931, and was nationalized in 1940 after Estonia was forced into the Soviet Union. During the first year of Soviet Occupation During Worl ...

, animated film * 1983: ''Sõlm'', Tallinnfilm, puppetry film * 1986: ''Kevadine kärbes'', Tallinnfilm, puppetry film * 1987: ''Magus planeet'', Tallinnfilm, puppetry film * 1991: ''Ärasõit'', Tallinnfilm, animated film * 1991: ''

Rahu tänav ''Rahu tänav'' ( en, Peace Street) is a 1991 Estonian film directed by Roman Baskin. Awards: * 1992: FilmFestival Cottbus (Germany), 1992, main prize - best film * 1992: European Film Awards, nomination: European Supporting Actor of the Year 19 ...

'', Tallinnfilm, feature film * 1995–1998: ''M Klubi'', BEC, television series * 1997: '' Minu Leninid'', Faama Film, feature film * 2001–2011: '' Pehmed ja karvased'', BEC, television series * 2002: ''Eesti valik 2001'', Raamatfilm, documentary film * 2005: ''Mees animatsoonist'', Acuba Film, documentary film

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kall, Toomas 1947 births Living people Estonian male writers 20th-century Estonian writers 21st-century Estonian writers Estonian humorists Estonian caricaturists Estonian journalists Estonian screenwriters Writers from Tallinn People from Tallinn University of Tartu alumni Recipients of the Order of the National Coat of Arms, 4th Class