Gustav Suits
Gustav Suits | |
---|---|
Võnnu, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire | |
Died | 23 May 1956 | (aged 72)
Occupation(s) | Poet, writer |
Years active | 1899–1956 |
Spouse | Aino Emilia Suits (née Thauvón) |
Gustav Suits (30 November [O.S. 18 November] 1883 in Võnnu, Tartu County, Livonia – 23 May 1956 in Stockholm, Sweden) is considered one of the greatest Estonian poets.[1] He was also an early leader of the literary movement group Noor-Eesti (Young Estonia).
Childhood and education
Suits was born in the parish of
Literary career
In 1901, Suits began spending his summers tutoring in the German and French languages. In the same year, he founded the literary society "Friends of Literature" (Kirjanduse Sõbrad), a group that included A. H. Tammsaare, who was to become Estonia's greatest novelist. The society published a journal called "Rays" (Kiired).
Between 1905 and 1916, Suits was closely connected to the Estonian literary movement group known as Noor-Eesti, or Young Estonia. In these years, Noor Eesti became publicly active, bringing European influence into Estonian literature and influencing European literature with Estonian styles. Between 1917 and 1919, Suits was politically active in the Estonian Socialist Revolutionary Party.
In 1921, Suits became the first person to teach literature in Estonian at a post-secondary school level. Until he left the post in 1944, he published a multitude of research essays focusing on Estonian literature. Suits founded the Estonian Academic Literary Society in 1924.
In 1941, Suits experienced the loss of his home. It, along with hundreds of manuscripts, burned to the ground.
In 1944, Suits and approximately 70,000 other Estonians fled the
Themes and style
Suits's poetry combines extremely personal and very general elements. Frequently, it addresses Estonian history and the fate of
Selected works
- The Fire of Life
- The Land of Winds (Tuulemaa)
- All is But a Dream
- Fire and Wind
Death
In 1956, Suits contracted a serious illness and died. He is buried in the Skogskyrkogården.
See also
Estonian Literary Magazine: Gustav Suits by Ele Süvalep
References
- ^ W. K. Matthews, The Background and Poetry of Gustav Suits. A Study in Estonian Symbolism, American Slavic and East European Review, Vol. 9, No. 2. (Apr., 1950), pp. 116–127.