Paul-Eerik Rummo (born 19 January 1942) is an Estonian poet, playwright, translator and politician who was the former Estonian Minister of Culture and Education, as well as the former Estonian Minister of Population Affairs. Rummo was born 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 ...

, the son of Estonian writer Paul Rummo. Paul-Eerik studied literature 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.

, graduating in 1965. Rummo has worked in Estonian theatres.

Personal life

Paul-Eerik Rummo is married to the actress, poet, author, and translator Viiu Härm. The couple have three daughters.

Legacy

In October 1980, Rummo was a signatory of the Letter of 40 Intellectuals, a public letter in which forty prominent Estonian intellectuals defended 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 ...

and protested the

Russification Russification (), Russianisation or Russianization, is a form of cultural assimilation in which non-Russians adopt Russian culture and Russian language either voluntarily or as a result of a deliberate state policy. Russification was at times ...

policies of the

Kremlin The Moscow Kremlin (also the Kremlin) is a fortified complex in Moscow, Russia. Located in the centre of the country's capital city, the Moscow Kremlin (fortification), Kremlin comprises five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Mosco ...

in Estonia. The signatories also expressed their unease against republic-level government in harshly dealing with youth protests in Tallinn that were sparked a week earlier due to the banning of a public performance of the

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band

Propeller A propeller (often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon a working flu ...

. In the novel ''

Purge In history, religion and political science, a purge is a position removal or execution of people who are considered undesirable by those in power from a government, another, their team leaders, or society as a whole. A group undertaking such an ...

'' (in Finnish ''Puhdistus'') by

Sofi Oksanen Sofi-Elina Oksanen (born 7 January 1977) is a Finnish writer and playwright. Oksanen has published six novels, of which "Purge" has gained the widest recognition. She has received several international and domestic awards for her literary work. ...

, Rummo's poetry becomes a symbol of resistance against

in Estonia, sprinkled throughout the narrative.

Selected bibliography

;Poetry *''Ankruhiivaja'' (The Anchor-weigher), 1962 *''Lumevalgus … lumepimedus'' (Snow Light ... Snow Darkness), 1966 *''Saatja aadress ja teised luuletused 1968-1972'' (Sender's Address and Other Poems 1968-1972), 1989. *''The September Sun.'' Facing bilingual with English translations by Ritva Poom. Cross-Cultural Communications, 1994. ;Plays *''Tuhkatriinumäng'' (Cinderellagame), printed 1969

References

External links

Estonian Writers Online Dictionary
Estonian male poets 1942 births Living people Writers from Tallinn Politicians from Tallinn Government ministers of Estonia University of Tartu alumni Recipients of the Order of the National Coat of Arms, 4th Class 20th-century Estonian poets 21st-century Estonian poets Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 2nd Class Members of the Riigikogu, 1992–1995 Members of the Riigikogu, 1995–1999 Members of the Riigikogu, 1999–2003 Members of the Riigikogu, 2003–2007 Members of the Riigikogu, 2007–2011 Members of the Riigikogu, 2011–2015 Members of the Riigikogu, 2015–2019 {{Estonia-1995-Riigikogu-politician-stub