Tõnis Tootsen (born 17 October 1988) is an

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

n poet, prose writer and novelist. He mainly writes in the genres of science fiction and fantasy. Tõnis Tootsen was born in

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

. His father is journalist, writer and politician Toivo Tootsen and his mother is journalist Reet Tõllasepp. He has one sister and his half-brother is journalist and documentary filmmaker Jaan Tootsen from his father's previous marriage. His uncle was television journalist and politician Ülo Tootsen. Tootsen attended schools in Tallinn and studied

semiotics Semiotics ( ) is the systematic study of sign processes and the communication of meaning. In semiotics, a sign is defined as anything that communicates intentional and unintentional meaning or feelings to the sign's interpreter. Semiosis is a ...

at the

University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; ; ) is a public research university located in the city of Tartu, Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is also the largest and oldest university in the country.

. His debut novel ''Esimene päev'' (''The First Day'') was published in 2016 and received the Estonian Literature Endowment Annual Award. His 2022 novel ''Ahvide pasteet. Ühe ahvi mälestusi ja mõtteid'' (''Pâté of the Apes: One Primate’s Thoughts and Memories'') was nominated for the 2023

European Union Prize for Literature The European Union Prize for Literature (EUPL), established in 2009, is a European Union literary award. Its aim is to recognise outstanding new literary talents from all over Europe, to promote the circulation and translation of literature among ...

and garnered a special mention. His books include: * ''Nukumeister'' (''The Puppet Master'', short stories, 2012) * ''Esimene Päev'' (''The First Day'', novel, 2016) * ''Uttu'' (''Into the Fog'', poetry, 2021) * ''Ahvide pasteet. Ühe ahvi mälestusi ja mõtteid'' (''Pâté of the Apes: One Primate’s Thoughts and Memories'', novel, 2022)

References

1988 births Living people Estonian male poets Estonian male novelists Estonian male short story writers 21st-century Estonian writers 21st-century Estonian novelists 21st-century Estonian poets University of Tartu alumni Writers from Tallinn {{Estonia-writer-stub