Eduard Vilde ( – 26 December 1933) was an Estonian writer, a pioneer of critical realism in

Estonian literature Estonian literature () is literature written in the Estonian language (c. 1,100,000 speakers) The oldest records of written Estonian date from the 13th century. ''Originates Livoniae'' in Chronicle of Henry of Livonia contains Estonian place n ...

, and a diplomat. He was the author of classics such as ''The War in Mahtra'' and ''The Milkman from Mäeküla''. He was one of the most revered figures in Estonian literature and is generally credited as being the country's first professional writer.

Life and career

Vilde grew up on the farm where his father worked. In 1883, he began working as a journalist. He spent a great deal of his life traveling abroad and he lived for some time in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

in the 1890s, where he was influenced by

materialism Materialism is a form of monism, philosophical monism according to which matter is the fundamental Substance theory, substance in nature, and all things, including mind, mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions. Acco ...

and socialism. His writings were also guided by the realism and naturalism of the French writer

Émile Zola Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola (, ; ; 2 April 184029 September 1902) was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of Naturalism (literature), naturalism, and an important contributor to ...

(1840–1902). In addition to being a prolific writer, he was also an outspoken critic of Tsarist rule and of the German landowners. With the founding of the first Estonian republic in 1919, he served as an ambassador in Berlin for several years, and spent the last years of his life editing and revising an enormous volume of his collected works. After his death in 1933, he became the first person to be interred at Metsakalmistu, in the

Pirita Pirita is one of the eight administrative districts () of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. Pirita occupies a relatively large area, but compared to other districts of Tallinn its population of 17,592 (as of 1 November 2014) is relatively small. ...

district of Tallinn.

Works

Gallery

File:Statues of Wilde and Vilde in Galway.jpg, Statues of

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

and Eduard Vilde in

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

. The original of this sculpture is located in

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

. File:Kadrioru lossi kastellaani maja.jpg, House in Kadriorg, where Eduard Vilde lived from 1927 to 1933 File:Eduard Vilde haud.jpg, Grave of Eduard Vilde at Tallinn's Forest Cemetery File:MuugaMõisaPark.jpg, Monument of Vilde in the park at Muuga Manor File:E. Vilde monument Harju tn 2.jpg, Memorial to Vilde in Tallinn

References

External links

* 1865 births 1933 deaths People from Väike-Maarja Parish Politicians from Lääne-Viru County People from Kreis Wierland Estonian Social Democratic Workers' Party politicians Members of the Estonian Constituent Assembly Ambassadors of Estonia to Germany Estonian non-fiction writers Estonian male novelists Estonian male non-fiction writers 19th-century Estonian novelists 20th-century Estonian novelists 19th-century male writers 20th-century Estonian male writers Recipients of the Military Order of the Cross of the Eagle Burials at Metsakalmistu Writers from the Russian Empire {{Estonia-writer-stub