Paul Viiding (22 May 1904 – 27 June 1962) was an Estonian poet, author and literary critic. Born in Valga, to Juhan and Ann Viiding (''née'' Rose), he was the oldest of two children; his sister Linda was born in 1907. He graduated with a degree in mathematics in

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after the Northern European country's political and financial capital, Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 91,407 (as of 2021). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast o ...

before pursuing a career as an author and poet. He 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 Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biogr ...

. The small circle of six poets became known as ''

Arbujad Arbujad (English as "sorcerers" or "soothsayers") was the collective name for a loose group of eight Estonian poets, which represented a new direction in Estonian poetry before the outbreak of World War II.Cornelius Hasselblatt, ''History of Est ...

'' ("Soothsayers") and included

Heiti Talvik Heiti Talvik (9 November 1904 – 18 July 1947) was an Estonian poet. Life and literary career Heiti Talvik's father was a family doctor based in Tartu and his mother was a pianist. In 1923 he left the school early and initially sought work ...

, Betti Alver,

Uku Masing Uku Masing (born Hugo Albert Masing, 11 August 1909 – 25 April 1985) was an Estonian philosopher. He was a significant figure in Estonian religious philosophy. Masing also wrote poetry, mostly on religious issues. Masing authored one novel, ''R ...

, Bernard Kangro,

Kersti Merilaas Kersti Merilaas ( in Narva – 8 March 1986 in Tallinn) was an Estonian 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 Narva, Estonia ...

, Mart Raud and

August Sang August Sang (27 July 1914 – 14 October 1969) was an Estonian poet and literary translator.Marcel Cornis-Pope, John Neubauer, ''History of the literary cultures of East-Central Europe: junctures and disjunctures in the 19th and 20th centuries, ...

.Elic. ''A Short History of Estonian Literature: Literature in an independent Estonia: 1918–1940''
/ref> Viiding married translator Linda Laarmann and had four children: Reet, Anni, Mari and the youngest (and only son)

Juhan Viiding Juhan Viiding (1 June 1948 – 21 February 1995), also known under the pseudonym of Jüri Üdi was an Estonian poet and actor. Personal life Juhan Viiding was born on 1 June 1948 in Tallinn to Paul Viiding, a well-known poet in Estonia who h ...

. His grandchildren include historian

Juhan Kreem Juhan Kreem (born 26 June 1971) is an Estonian historian, writer, and archivist. His principal topic is Livonian Middle Ages, especially topics related to the Livonian Order. Juhan Kreem was born in Tallinn. His father is Antarctic researcher an ...

, musician Jaagup Kreem, poet Elo Viiding, politician Indrek Tarand, and journalist Kaarel Tarand. Paul Viiding died in

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...

, Estonia in 1962.

References

Sources

*Tarand, Mari. ''Katse mõista Paul Viidingu teekonda.'' In: Akadeemia 1997, No. 3, pp. 598–611 {{DEFAULTSORT:Viiding, Paul 1904 births 1962 deaths People from Valga, Estonia People from the Governorate of Livonia Estonian male poets 20th-century Estonian poets 20th-century male writers