August Alle
August Alle | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | 8 July 1952 Tallinn, Estonia | (aged 61)
Occupation(s) | Writer, poet |
Years active | 1915–1952 |
August Alle (31 August [O.S. 19 August] 1890 – 8 July 1952) was an Estonian writer.[1][2]
Early life
August Alle was the son of a stonemason. He attended the parish school in
Literary career
After studying medicine August Alle worked in Estonia as a journalist and lecturer, before he is completely devoted himself to writing. From 1919 he was one of the figures association with the Siuru movement. August Alle was also known as a columnist and literary critic. His literary breakthrough came with his 1921 poem collection Carmina Barbata.
His writing was deliberately outrageous, ironic, sarcastic and satirical. He was a master of the epigram and sketches. His pen was sharp and feared in Estonia. He turned particularly against the emerging middle class of the inter-war period. In his works he drew on his experiences in the revolutionary
August Alle's poetry turned strongly against the fascist tendencies in Europe of that time.
Soviet collaboration
After the
August Alle belonged to the Board of the Estonian Writers Association. In addition, he was editor at various literary journals. In 1942 he joined the Communist Party of Estonia. During the German invasion, he was director of the press department of the Communist Party.
From 1946 until his death he was chief editor of the prestigious, though after 1944 Soviet controlled, literary magazine
Alle's best known poem is the
Works
- Üksinduse saartele (1918)
- Carmina Barbata (1921)
- Laul kleidist helesinisest ja roosast seelikust (1925)
- Ummiklained (1930)
- Karmid rütmid (1934)
- Lilla elevant (1923)
- Epigrams (1944)
References
- ^ Endel Nirk, Arthur Robert Hone, Oleg Mutt, Estonian Literature: Historical Survey with Biobibliographical Appendix, Published by Perioodika, 1987, p. 215.
- ^ a b August Alle Estonian Writers. Online Dictionary. Accessed 8.2.2023