Karl Ast (pseudonym: Karl Rumor, 19 February 1886 – 9 July 1971) was 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 writer and politician.

Arvo Mägi Arvo Mägi (pseudonym Juhan Timmukuru; June 13, 1913 – November 27, 2004) was an Estonians, Estonian writer and journalist. Early life and education Arvo Mägi was born in the village of Koosa, Estonia, the son of Juhan Mägi (1870–1942) a ...

, ''Estonian literature: an outline'', Baltic Humanitarian Association, 1968

Life

Ast's older brother, Gottlieb Ast, was the mayor of

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 ...

in 1919. Karl attended the renowned

Hugo Treffner Gymnasium Hugo Treffner Gymnasium (; abbreviated as HTG) is a secondary school in Tartu, Estonia with special emphasis on science education. Founded by Hugo Treffner, it was the only large secondary school in 19th-century Estonia with predominantly Estonia ...

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

. Ast supported the

Russian Revolution of 1905 The Russian Revolution of 1905, also known as the First Russian Revolution, was a revolution in the Russian Empire which began on 22 January 1905 and led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy under the Russian Constitution of 1906, t ...

and was imprisoned in

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

for a period from 1907 to 1910 as a result of his criticism of the authoritarian regime of the

Tsar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...

. He participated in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

in the

Russian Imperial Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

. With the attainment of independence of the

Republic of 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 ...

, Karl Ast entered politics. He was a member of the

Estonian Constituent Assembly The Estonian Constituent Assembly () was elected on 5–7 April 1919, called by the Estonian Provisional Government during the Estonian War of Independence. Estonian Constituent Assembly elections Activity The 120 members of the Constituent ...

in 1919. From 1919 to 1933 he was a member of the Estonian Parliament (

Riigikogu The Riigikogu (, from Estonian ''riigi-'', "of the state", and ''kogu'', "assembly") is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. In addition to approving legislation, the Parliament appoints high officials, including the prime minister and chi ...

). Between 1933 and 1939 he traveled the world (including the capitals of Europe, North Africa, India, Japan, China) and had written numerous travel accounts and reports. In 1939 he was Estonian press attaché in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. During the

Second World War 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 ...

, Karl Ast emigrated from Europe, settling in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, then in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and eventually in the

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

He served with the

Estonian government in exile The Estonian government-in-exile was the formally declared governmental authority of the Republic of Estonia in exile, existing from 1944 until the reestablishment of Estonian sovereignty over Estonian territory in 1991. It traced its legitimacy ...

until 1959.

Literary work

Karl Ast's literary debut came in 1911, shortly after his release from Tzarist imprisonment with the short story collection (The mosquitoes in the storm). In 1923/24 he was chairman of the

Estonian Writers' Union The Estonian Writers' Union (, abbr. EWU is a professional association of Estonian writers and literary critics.Marje Jõeste, Küllo Arjakas, ''The Baltic States'', Estonian Encyclopaedia Publishers, 1991, page 64 History The Estonian Writer ...

. In addition to numerous short stories he wrote a novel (Krutsifiks, 1960), two volumes of memoirs and numerous travel books. His short stories made him one of the most popular exile writers of his time.

Bibliography

* (1911, short stories and sketches) * (1913, prose poem) * (1913, short stories) * (1920, under the pseudonym Kaarlo Orawa) * (1921, short stories) * (1926, short stories) * (1928, short stories) * (1928, romantic drama) * (1929, erotic short stories) * (1930/31, travel reports) * (1936, travelogue) * (1943, a political treatise) * (1953, short stories) * (1959, short stories) * (1960, novel) * (1962, short stories) * (1963–65, memories, two volumes) * (1971, short stories) * (1991, short stories) * (1995, story) * (2007, essays, edited by

Hando Runnel Hando Runnel (born 24 November 1938 in Liutsalu, Järva County) is an Estonian poet. From 1957 to 1962, he studied agronomy at the Estonian Agricultural Academy. From 1966 to 1971, he worked on the editorial board of the journal ''Looming''. Sin ...

)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ast, Karl 1886 births 1971 deaths People from Võru Parish Politicians from Võru County People from Kreis Werro Estonian Social Democratic Workers' Party politicians Estonian Socialist Workers' Party politicians Members of the Estonian Provincial Assembly Members of the Estonian Constituent Assembly Members of the Riigikogu, 1920–1923 Members of the Riigikogu, 1923–1926 Members of the Riigikogu, 1926–1929 Members of the Riigikogu, 1929–1932 Members of the Riigikogu, 1932–1934 Estonian male poets Estonian male short story writers 20th-century Estonian poets 21st-century Estonian writers Hugo Treffner Gymnasium alumni Russian military personnel of World War I Estonian World War II refugees Estonian emigrants to the United States