Arvo Vallikivi (born 14 December 1935 in

Märjamaa Märjamaa is a borough ( et, alev) in Rapla County, Estonia. It is the administrative center of Märjamaa Parish. Märjamaa has a population of 2,961 as of 29 November 2012, making it the largest settlement in the whole of Märjamaa Parish. Nota ...

), commonly known under the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

of Arvo Valton, 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 ...

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 ...

known for a number of books and, among other things, the script for

Viimne reliikvia ''Viimne reliikvia'' ( Estonian for ''The Last Relic''; russian: Последняя реликвия, translit=Poslyednyaya ryelikvya) is a 1969 Estonian-language Soviet film based on '' Vürst Gabriel ehk Pirita kloostri viimsed päevad'' ( Esto ...

, the highly successful movie adaptation of

Eduard Bornhöhe Eduard Bornhöhe (pen name); born Eduard Brunberg (, in Kullaaru, Rakvere Parish, Kreis Wierland – 17 November 1923, in Tallinn), was an Estonian writer. Bornhöhe is generally considered a pioneer of the genre of the Estonian historical nov ...

's Vürst Gabriel ehk Pirita kloostri viimsed päevad. In October 1980, Valton 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 forty prominent Estonian intellectuals defended 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 protested 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 Estonia. The signatories also expressed their unease against Republic-level government in harshly dealing with youth protests in Tallinn that were sparked a week earlier due to the banning of a public performance of the punk rock 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 ...

. In 1992, Arvo Valton was elected to

Riigikogu The Riigikogu (; from Estonian ''riigi-'', of the state, and ''kogu'', assembly) is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. In addition to approving legislation, the Parliament appoints high officials, including the Prime Minister and Chief Jus ...

Bibliography

* Veider soov (1963) * Rataste vahel (1965) * Kaheksa jaapanlannat (1968) * Luikede soo. Karussel (1968) * Sõnumitooja (1972) * Õukondlik mäng (1972) * Pööriöö külaskäik (1974) * Läbi unemaastike (1975) * Tee lõpmatuse teise otsa (1978) * Mustamäe armastus (1978) * Ajaprintsess (1981) * Võõras linnas (1981) * Zugluft (1983) * Arvid Silberi maailmareis (Arvid Silber's Trip Round the World, 1984) * Üksildased ajas (1983 and 1985) * Masendus ja lootus (1989) * Õndsusse kulgev päev (1992) * Kogutud teosed (Collected works, 1998)

References

External links

Arvo Valton's
entry at th
Estonian Literature Information Centre
1935 births Living people People from Märjamaa Pro Patria Union politicians Isamaa politicians Members of the Riigikogu, 1992–1995 Estonian screenwriters Tallinn University of Technology alumni Recipients of the Order of the National Coat of Arms, 3rd Class Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 3rd Class 20th-century Estonian politicians 21st-century Estonian politicians {{estonia-writer-stub