Arbujad () was the collective name for a loose group of eight

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

poets A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

, which represented a new direction in Estonian poetry before the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

.Cornelius Hasselblatt, ''History of Estonian literature'', Berlin, New York 2006. , p. 507-514

Members

The literary group included the young Estonian poets

Betti Alver Elisabet "Betti" Alver ( – 19 June 1989), was one of Estonia's most notable poets. She was among the first generation to be educated in schools of an independent Estonia. She went to grammar school in Tartu. Writing She began as a prose w ...

, Bernard Kangro,

Uku Masing Uku Masing (born Hugo Albert Masing, 11 August 1909 – 25 April 1985) was an Estonian polymath who contributed to theology, oriental studies, philosophy, poetry, folklore and to the field of ethnology. He was a significant figure in Estonian rel ...

Kersti Merilaas Kersti Merilaas ( in Narva – 8 March 1986 in Tallinn) was an Estonian poet and translator. In addition, she wrote poems and prose for children and plays. Early life and education Kersti Merilaas was born Eugenie Moorberg in to Jaan Johannes an ...

, Mart Raud,

August Sang August Sang (27 July 1914 – 14 October 1969) was an Estonian poet and literary translator. Sang was a member of the Arbujad literary group, which represented a new direction in Estonian poetry before the outbreak of World War II. He was know ...

, Heiti Talvik and Paul Viiding, all born between 1904 and 1914. Most of them came from the student association

Veljesto Estonia Student Society Veljesto (EÜS Veljesto or EYS Veljesto or Eesti Yliõpilaste Selts Vejesto) is an association of Estonian university students. It was founded on 24 February 1920, at Tartu, Estonia. History The Estonia Student Society V ...

, which was active 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.

Program

The name ''Arbujad'' comes from the title of an anthology of poems published by

Ants Oras Ants Oras (8 December 1900 – 21 December 1982) was an Estonian translator and writer. Oras was born in Tallinn and studied at the University of Tartu, graduating with a Master of Philosophy degree in 1923. He also obtained a Bachelor of Litera ...

in 1938 titled ''Arbujad. Valimik uusimat eesti lüürikat'' (Shamans. A Selection of the Latest Estonian Poetry). While group's poetic works tended to be eclectic, there was a common desire among members to reach a deeper intellectual and emotional plane. The poets were for the freedom and independence of the people while being against ideological coercion and totalitarian concepts.

Significance

The

Soviet occupation During World War II, the Soviet Union occupied and annexed several countries effectively handed over by Nazi Germany in the secret Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 1939. These included the eastern regions of Poland (incorporated into three differe ...

of Estonia two years after the publication of Oras' anthology abruptly ended this period of Estonian poetry. However, Arbujad had a great influence on a new generation of Estonian poets.

References

Estonian poetry {{Estonia-stub