Valmar Adams (born Vladimir Karl Moritz Adams; 30 January 1899 – 15 March 1993) 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, literary scholar and editor. He also used pseudonyms Vilmar Adams (1924–1933), Vladimir Aleksandrovski and Inno Vask. Adams was born in

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

in 1899 to Estonian parents. In 1909, he relocated to

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 ...

. Between 1923 and 1929, he studied 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.

and graduated with

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in Estonian and general literature. When in 1928 the Estonian PEN Club (branch of

PEN International PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide professional association, association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association ...

) was founded, Adams was one of its founding members. 1940–1941, he was the editor-in-chief for the newspaper '' Tartu Kommunist'' ('Tartu Communist'). He was awarded the Smuul Literary Award in 1988 for his novel "Esta astub ellu", which is considered as his memoir. In 1986, the film about Valmar Adams titled ''Intiimne Adams'' ('Intimate Adams') was made. He died in Tartu in 1993, aged 94. His son

Jüri Adams Jüri Adams (born 22 November 1947) is an Estonian politician. He formerly was the Justice Minister of Estonia from 1994 to 1995. He has been a member of numerous political parties, including the Estonian National Independence Party, Pro Patria U ...

was a politician and former Justice Minister of Estonia.

Selected works

* 1924 poetry collection "Suudlus lumme" ('A Kiss into the Snow') * 1932 poetry collection "Maise matka poolel teel" ('Halfway through One's Earthly Journey') * 1972 poetry collection "Nooruse tolmunud kuld" ('The Dusty Gold of Youth') * 1987 novel "Esta astub ellu" ('Esta Enters upon Life')

References

External links

*
Valmar Adams at Estonian Writers' Online Dictionary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Valmar 1899 births 1993 deaths Estonian male poets 20th-century Estonian writers 20th-century Estonian poets University of Tartu alumni Estonian literary scholars