Mati Unt (1 January 1944 Linnamäe, Voore Parish (now Voore, Mustvee Parish), Jõgeva County, Estonia – 22 August 2005, Tallinn) was an Estonian writer, essayist and theatre director.

Biography

His first

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

, written at the age of 18 after having finished high school, was ''

Hüvasti, kollane kass ''Hüvasti, kollane kass'' ("Farewell, yellow cat") is the debut novel of Estonian author Mati Unt Mati Unt (1 January 1944 Linnamäe, Voore Parish (now Voore, Mustvee Parish), Jõgeva County, Estonia – 22 August 2005, Tallinn) was an E ...

'' (Goodbye, Yellow Cat). He completed his education in literature, journalism and philology at the University of Tartu. After that, he served as Director of the Vanemuine Theater from 1966 to 1972, held the same position at the Youth Theater until 1991, and then at the Estonian Drama Theatre until 2003, when he became a freelance writer. Unt was married to television journalist and screenwriter

Ela Tomson Ela Tomson (born Ela Liimeon; 16 February 1945) is an Estonian television journalist, editor, screenwriter, and politician. She was a member of X Riigikogu. Early life and career Tomson was born in Pärnu. She is a 1967 graduate of Tartu State Uni ...

from 1965, until their divorce in 1973. He joined the Estonian Writers' Union in 1966. In 1980, he was named an Honored Writer of the Estonian SSR and, that same year, became one of the signatories to the Letter of 40 intellectuals. In 2000, was awarded the

Order of the White Star The Order of the White Star ( et, Valgetähe teenetemärk; french: Ordre de l'Etoile Blanche) was instituted in 1936. The Order of the White Star is bestowed on Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic ...

In 2005, not long before his death, he became a Professor of liberal arts at the University. He is buried in the Metsakalmistu cemetery in Tallinn.

Works

Four successive novels, ''Võlg'' (The Debt, 1964), ''Elu võimalikkusest kosmoses'' (On the possibility of life in space, 1967), ''Kuu nagu kustuv päike'' (The moon like the outgoing sun, 1971), and ''Must mootorrattur'' (The Black Motorcyclist, 1976) established his reputation as a major writer. In addition, he was instrumental in bringing avant-garde theatre to post-Soviet Estonia. Several of his novels have been adapted for film since his death, including ''Sügisball'' ("

Autumn Ball Autumn, also known as fall in American English and Canadian English, is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Southe ...

") in 2007 by Veiko Õunpuu.

English Translations

* ''Things in the night''. (''Öös on asju'', 1990) Translated by Eric Dickens. Normal, IL: Dalkey Archive Press, 2006. * ''Diary of a blood donor''. (''Doonori meelespea'', 1990) Translated by Ants Eert. Champaign, IL: Dalkey Archive Press, 2008. * ''Brecht at night''. (''Brecht ilmub öösel'', 1996) Translated by Eric Dickens. Champaign, IL: Dalkey Archive Press, 2009. * "An Empty Beach" ("Tühirand", 1972) in ''The Dedalus Book of Estonian Literature''. Edited by Jan Kaus and translated by Eric Dickens. Sawtry: Dedalus Books, 2011.

References

External links

Obituary by Eric Dickens
1944 births 2005 deaths People from Mustvee Parish Estonian male novelists Estonian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Estonian novelists 20th-century dramatists and playwrights Male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century male writers Burials at Metsakalmistu Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 3rd Class {{Estonia-writer-stub