Kersti Merilaas ( in

Narva Narva is a municipality and city in Estonia. It is located in the Ida-Viru County, at the Extreme points of Estonia, eastern extreme point of Estonia, on the west bank of the Narva (river), Narva river which forms the Estonia–Russia border, E ...

– 8 March 1986 in

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 ...

) 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 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 and Anna Moorberg (née Kobbin) in

, in the

Saint Petersburg Governorate Saint Petersburg Governorate was a province (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, with its capital in Saint Petersburg. The governorate was composed of of area and 2,112,033 inhabitants. It was bordered by Governorate of Estonia, Estonian and G ...

(now

) shortly before the outbreak of 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 ...

. She spent her early childhood in St. Petersburg, Russia with her mother and younger sister Lydia. The family returned to Estonia in 1917 because of the turmoil of the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

. From 1921 to 1927 she attended school in the village of Kiltsi, then furthered her studies in Väike-Maarja and

Rakvere Rakvere is the administrative center, or county seat, of Lääne-Viru County in northern Estonia, about 100 km southeast of Tallinn and 20 km south of the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea. Rakvere boasts a distinctive architectural feature: th ...

Lääne-Viru County Lääne-Viru County ( or ''Lääne-Virumaa'') is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is in northern Estonia, on the south coast of the Gulf of Finland. In Estonian, ''lääne'' means western and ''ida'' means east or eastern. Lääne-Viru borders Id ...

. In 1932, she completed high school in Tapa, Estonia.

Career

In 1935, she made her literary debut with a collection of poems titled ''Loomingus''. In 1936, Merilaas married the Estonian writer and translator August Sang (1914–1969). The couple's children include artist Liina Pihlak, pediatrician and pulmonologist Maarja Panov, and poet, literary critic, linguist, translator and publicist Joel Sang.Kiltsi Põhikool
From 1936, Merilaas lived in

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 ...

, where she was employed as a librarian. She was a member of the influential group of Estonian poets brought together in 1938 by literary scholar Ants Oras who was greatly influenced by T. S. Eliot. The small circle of poets became known as '' Arbujad'' ("Soothsayers") and included Heiti Talvik, Paul Viiding, Betti Alver, Uku Masing and Bernard Kangro That year, her anthology of poetry ''Maantee tuuled'' was published to much critical acclaim, particularly for its lyrical preoccupation with love and nature. Also in 1938 she joined the Estonian Writers' Union. After the Soviet occupation and annexation of Estonia in 1944, Merilaas' work was viewed by authorities as disreputable and promoting " bourgeois nationalism". In 1950, Merilaas was forced to resign from the Soviet Writers Association of Estonia. During this time, Merilaas was allowed to continue writing children's literature. In 1960, after the relaxation of Soviet authorities, Merilaas was again permitted to write literature for adults. Besides poetry and prose, Merilaas wrote libretti for three operas by Estonian composer Gustav Ernesaks and translated German works of

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

Georg Christoph Lichtenberg Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (; 1 July 1742 – 24 February 1799) was a German physicist, satirist, and Anglophile. He was the first person in Germany to hold a professorship explicitly dedicated to experimental physics. He is remembered for his p ...

and

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

into the

Estonian language Estonian ( ) is a Finnic language and the official language of Estonia. It is written in the Latin script and is the first language of the majority of the country's population; it is also an official language of the European Union. Estonian is sp ...

. Merilaas died in

, Estonia in 1986 at the age of 72.

Selected works

Poetry *''Loomingus'' (1935) *''Maantee tuuled'' (1938) *''Rannapääsuke'' (1963) *''Kevadised koplid'' (1966) *''Kuukressid'' (1969) *''Antud ja võetud'' (1981) Children's Books *''Munapühad'' (1940) *''Kallis kodu'' (collection of poems, 1944) *''Päikese paistel'' collection of poems (1948) *''Turvas'' (1950) *''Veskilaul'' (1959) *''Lugu mustast ja valgest'' (1962) *''Lumest lumeni'' (1982) *''Kui vanaema noor oli'' (poetry anthology, 1983) *''Kindakiri. – Варежки'' (poem in Estonian and Russian, 1986) *''Siit siiani. Piksepill'' (collection of poems, 1989. Posthumous) Plays *''Kaks viimast rida'' (1973) *''Pilli-Tiidu'' (1974)

Awards

In 1976, Kersti Merilaas was awarded the Friedebert Tuglas Short Story Award for her work ''Eilsete perest.''Under and Tuglas Literature Centre of the Estonian Academy of Sciencies, Fridebert Tuglas Short Story Award

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merilaas, Kersti 1913 births 1986 deaths People from Narva People from Yamburgsky Uyezd 20th-century Estonian poets Estonian translators Estonian women poets 20th-century Estonian women writers Soviet poets Soviet translators Arbujad Honoured Writers of the Estonian SSR

Early life and education

Career

Selected works

Awards

Further reading

References