Debora Vaarandi (born Debora Trull; 1 October 1916 – 28 April 2007) was an

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

n writer, considered to be a leading literary figure in post-

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Estonia. Many of her poems were set to music. Vaarandi was a recipient of the first

Juhan Liiv Juhan Liiv ( – ) is one of Estonia's most famous poets and prose writers. Childhood Juhan (birth names Johannes) Liiv, the son of Benjamin and Marianna Liiv (née Pärn), was born on 30 April 1864, in Alatskivi Parish (now Peipsiääre P ...

Poetry Award, and was recognized with the Cultural Award of the Republic of Estonia for outstanding lifetime achievement.

Biography

Debora Vaarandi was born in

Võru Võru (; vro, Võro; german: Werro) is a town and a municipality in south-eastern Estonia. It is the capital of Võru County and the centre of Võru Parish. History Võru was founded on 21 August 1784, according to the wish of the Empress Ca ...

on 1 October 1916 to Julianus and Tamara Trull (née Ella). She grew up on the island of

Saaremaa Saaremaa is the largest island in Estonia, measuring . The main island of Saare County, it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hiiumaa island and west of Muhu island, and belongs to the West Estonian Archipelago. The capital of the islan ...

. Vaarandi studied language and literature at the

University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; et, Tartu Ülikool; la, Universitas Tartuensis) is a university in the city of Tartu in Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is the only classical university in the country, and also its biggest ...

. In 1936, she married Aadu Hint; the couple later divorced. She joined the

Communist Party of Estonia The Communist Party of Estonia ( et, Eestimaa Kommunistlik Partei, abbreviated EKP) was a subdivision of the Soviet communist party which in 1920-1940 operated illegally in Estonia and, after the 1940 occupation and annexation of Estonia by the ...

in 1940. When the Germans invaded Estonia, she escaped to

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

, returning to Estonia in 1944. Although not trained as a journalist, she worked as editor in chief of the Communistic publication ''Sirbi ja Vasara''. She was forced to resign that post after contracting

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in w ...

. In 1946, her first collection of poetry ''Põleva laotuse all'' ("Under a Blazing Sky") was published. Her work celebrates values such as the love of nature, the importance of family and the beauty of small things. Many of her poems have been set to music. In 1952, she married writer

Juhan Smuul Juhan Smuul (18 February 1922 – 13 April 1971) was an Estonian writer. Until 1954 he used the given name Johannes Schmuul. Career Smuul was born in Koguva village on the island of Muhu to Jüri and Ruudu Schmuul (née Tuulik). He had thr ...

. After 1977, she focused on translating works by

Anna Akhmatova Anna Andreyevna Gorenko rus, А́нна Андре́евна Горе́нко, p=ˈanːə ɐnˈdrʲe(j)ɪvnə ɡɐˈrʲɛnkə, a=Anna Andreyevna Gorenko.ru.oga, links=yes; uk, А́нна Андрі́ївна Горе́нко, Ánna Andríyivn ...

Georg Trakl Georg Trakl (3 February 1887 – 3 November 1914) was an Austrian poet and the brother of the pianist Grete Trakl. He is considered one of the most important Austrian Expressionists. He is perhaps best known for his poem "Grodek", which he wr ...

and

Edith Södergran Edith Irene Södergran (4 April 1892 – 24 June 1923) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish poet. One of the first modernists within Swedish-language literature, her influences came from French Symbolism, German expressionism, and Russian fu ...

into Estonian. She was awarded the

Order of the White Rose of Finland The Order of the White Rose of Finland ( fi, Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Vita Ros’ orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. ...

for her work in translating Finnish poetry into Estonian.

Awards and honors

*1965, she received the first

Poetry Award *2005, she was recognized with the Cultural Award of the Republic of Estonia for outstanding lifetime achievement.

Selected works

* ''Unistaja aknal'' ("The Dreamer at the Window") (1959) * ''Tuule valgel'' ("In the Light of the Wind") (1977)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vaarandi, Debora 1916 births 2007 deaths People from Võru People from the Governorate of Livonia Estonian women poets Estonian translators 20th-century translators 20th-century Estonian poets University of Tartu alumni People's Writers of the Estonian SSR Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 3rd Class Order of the White Rose of Finland Estonian women editors Newspaper editors Burials at Pärnamäe Cemetery