Jaan Kross

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Jaan Kross (1987)
Jaan Kross (1938)
Jaan Kross (2004)

Jaan Kross (born February 19, 1920 in Tallinn ; † December 27, 2007 there ) was an Estonian writer .

Life

Kross attended the University of Tartu , graduated there in 1944 as a lawyer and taught as a lecturer for another two years (and again as professor of the Artes Liberales in 1998). In spring 1944 he was arrested by the German occupiers and in 1946 by the Soviets , who deported him to Siberia , where he spent eight years as a political prisoner (1947–1951) in the gulag in the Komi ASSR and later as an exile (1951–1954) in Krasnoyarsk region had to spend.

After his return to Tallinn in 1954, his first poems were published in various magazines the following year. Since then he has worked as a freelance writer. His rhyming poems of the 1950s and 60s modernized Estonian poetry. He had been a member of the Estonian SSR Writers' Union since 1958 , whose Presidium he was a member from 1971, and in 1981 he was its Deputy President. In the 1970s / 80s he mainly wrote historical novels. In the following decade he turned to the recent Estonian past, with his novels taking on more and more autobiographical traits.

Between 1992 and 1993 he was a member of the Estonian Parliament . In 1998 he was professor of liberal arts at the University of Tartu.

Jaan Kross was married to the Estonian writer Ellen Niit (real name Ellen Kross ) from 1958 until his death on December 27, 2007 . Before that he was married to Helga Pedusaar ( Helga Viira ) from 1940 to 1949 and to Helga Roos ( Helga Kross ) from 1954 to 1958 .

Awards

  • Friedebert Tuglas Prize for Short Stories (1971, 1972, 1990, 1995)
  • 1971 Honored Writer of the Estonian SSR
  • 1985 Popular writer of the Estonian SSR .
  • Juhan Smuul Prize (1972, 1973, 1979, 1983, 1984), the prize awarded annually per genre for the best literary work in Estonia
  • 1983 Union Prize of the USSR
  • 1988 Eeva Joenpelto Prize (Finland)
  • 1989 honorary doctorate from the University of Tartu
  • 1990 Honorary Doctorate from Helsinki University
  • 1989 Award for the best translated book in France
  • Virumaa Fund Prize (1989)
  • 1990 honorary member of the Finnish Literature Society
  • 1991 Amnesty International Literature Prize
  • Stanislaw Vincenz Prize (Poland 1991)
  • Honorary member of the Finnish-Swedish Writers' Association (1993)
  • Estonian State Culture Prize (1994)
  • 1994 Virumaa Literature Prize
  • 1995 Nonino Literature Prize (Italy)
  • Federal Cross of Merit (February 9, 1995)
  • Order of the State Coat of Arms 1st Class (1996)
  • Loviisa Peace Prize (Finland, 1996)
  • 1997 Virumaa Literature Prize
  • 1997 Herder Prize
  • 1998 Tallinn Coat of Arms Prize
  • 1999 Annual Prize of the Estonian Cultural Capital
  • 1999 Baltic Assembly Prize
  • 1999 Virumaa Literature Prize
  • 2004 Virumaa Literature Prize
  • 2006 Culture Prize of the Republic of Estonia

Works

Jaan Kross' works include eleven novels, six short stories, 27 short stories, his two-part autobiography, six volumes of poetry and six collections of essays, as well as some plays, books for children, translations and opera libretti.

Thematic design

His novels (and short stories) are almost all historical; Kross is often referred to as the revival of the historical novel. Almost all of his works are set in Estonia and revolve around the topic of relations between Estonians , Baltic Germans and Russians . His frequent thematization of the Estonian struggle for freedom against the Baltic Germans is largely a metaphor for the contemporary struggle against the Russians. Kross' importance even after the successful end of the struggle in 1991 shows that his novels also deal with topics that go beyond this kind of politics, e.g. B. Identity , Loyalty and Education .

The scope of the works

In the general opinion, The Tsar's Crazy About the Baltic German nobleman Timotheus Eberhard von Bock is Kross' best novel. Also known is the novel Professor Martens' Departure about the Russian diplomat Friedrich Fromhold Martens , who is particularly popular with academics because of his subjects (science, expertise, national loyalty). On the other hand, many experts consider the excavations to be Kross' best work. Life in the Reval of the 16th century is described in his novel Das Leben des Balthasar Rüssow . In the novel Die Frauen von Wesenberg or the uprising of the citizens , Kross describes the efforts of the city of Wesenberg to free itself from the illegitimate rule of the Tiesenhausen family . All of these novels are available in German translations. Kross was by far the most translated and best-known Estonian writer both nationally and internationally, certainly the most important since Anton Hansen Tammsaare .

German translations

In the German-speaking world, Jaan Kross is one of the most translated Estonian writers, with whom only the classic of the interwar period, Anton Hansen Tammsaare , can compete in this regard . A total of ten books by Kross have been published in German, taking into account all new editions and paperback editions over 20. His German debut took place in the GDR as early as 1974, and the breakthrough in the West and soon in Germany as a whole was initiated by a conference in Loccum, which took place in November In 1989 over 100 participants from home and abroad had come. After that, a large German publisher took on the author, so that Kross was relatively well known in the 1990s. One example of this is his reading tour, which he carried out in Germany in 1994 with a total of ten appearances in Frankfurt / Main, Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, Göttingen, Oldenburg, Bonn, Aachen, Berlin, Erlangen and Nuremberg. Apart from the books listed below, numerous articles on and by Kross have also appeared in magazines and daily newspapers.

Opus

Jaan Kross' work is well indexed in several bibliographies (see below under "Secondary literature").

Novels

stories

  • "Kahe kaotsiläinud paberi lugu" (1966)
  • " Neli monoloogi Püha Jüri asjus " (1970; German: "Four monologues Anno Domini 1506", 1974)
  • "Michelsoni matriculeerimine" (1971)
  • "Pöördtoolitund" (1972)
  • "Kolmandad mäed" (1975)
  • "Taevakivi" (1975)

Novellas

  • "Kajalood" (1980, contains: Marrastus , Toru , Stahli grammatika )
  • "Ülesõidukohad" (1981, contains: Rist , Väike Vipper )
  • "Silmade avamise päev" (1988, contains in addition to the title novel: Rist , Väike Vipper , Marrastus , Toru , Stahli grammatika , Vandenõu )
  • Tuhatoos (1988)
  • Onu (1989)
  • Alleluia (1989)
  • Minu onupoja jutustus (1991)
  • Eesti iseloom (1992)
  • Põgenemine (1992)
  • "Järelehüüd Kuusiku peremehele" (1994, contains the title novella 1941 and Vürst )
  • Süit kolmele klaverile või ehk siiski ainult kahele (1996)
  • Eesti rahva kõrbeteekond (1996)
  • Motacilla (1998)
  • Pulmareis (1998)
  • Morse (1998)
  • Effective (2001)
  • Sobimatute seikade võlu. Mälestus või novell (2004)
  • Külmkapp (2004)
  • Kokkuleppelised imed (2004)
  • Isand Järve käsikiri (2004)
  • Baumertid (2006)

Dramas

  • "Doctor Karelli raske öö" (2000)
  • "Vend Enrico ja tema piiskop" (2000)
  • "Olematu Odysseus" (2005)

Children's literature

  • "Mardileib" (1973)

Poems

  • "Söerikastaja" (1958)
  • "Tuule-Juku" (1964)
  • "Kivist viiulid" (1964)
  • "Lauljad laevavööridel" (1966)
  • "Vihm teeb toredaid asju" (1969)
  • "Voog ja kolmpii" (1971)

memoirs

  • "Kallid Kaasteelised" (2003)
  • "Kallid kaasteelised II" (2008)

Essays

  • "Vahelugemised I" (1968)
  • "Muld ja marmor" (together with Ellen Niit , 1968)
  • "Vahelugemised II" (1976)
  • "Vahelugemised III" (1982)
  • "Vahelugemised IV" (1986)
  • "Vahelugemised V" (1990)
  • "Vahelugemised VI" (1995)
  • "Omaeluloolisus yes alltekst. 1998. a. Tartu Ülikooli filosoofiateaduskonna vabade kunstide professorina peetud loengud "(2003)

Secondary literature

Bibliographies

  • Jaan Kross. Personnel nimestics . Koost. Vaime Kabur. Tallinn: Eesti NSV Kultuuriministeerium, Ms. R. Kreutzwaldi nim. Riiklik Raamatukogu 1982. 127 pp.
  • Jaan Kross. Bibliography . Koostanud Vaime Kabur, Gerli Palk. [Hamburg / Tallinn]: Bibliotheca Baltica 1997. 367 pp.
  • Jaan Kross. Bibliography 1997-2005. Koost. Vaime Kabur, Tiina Ritson. Tallinn: Eesti Rahvusraamatukogu 2006. 207 pp.
  • Cornelius Hasselblatt: Estonian Literature in German 1784-2003. Bibliography of primary and secondary literature. Bremen: Hempen Verlag 2004, pp. 66–80.

Monographs, edited volumes

  • Jaan Kross . Compiled by Maret Kangur: Tallinn: Eesti Raamat 1985. 43 pp.
  • The tsar's madman. Jaan Kross in Loccum . Edited by Olaf Schwencke . Loccum: Evangelical Academy 1990. 235 p. (Loccumer Protocols 58 / '89)
  • Kerttu Wagner: The historical novels by Jaan Kross. Using the example of a study of the German and English translations by Professor Martensi ärasõit (1984). Frankfurt / M. et al .: Peter Lang 2001. 290 p. (European University Papers, Series XVIII: Comparative Literature, Vol. 97)
  • Metamorfiline Kross. Sissevaateid Jaan Krossi loomingusse. Koostanud Eneken Laanes. Tallinn: Underi ja Tuglase Kirjanduskeskus 2005. 262 pp.
  • Juhani Salokannel : Sivistystahto. Jaan Kross, we have teoksensa yes virolaisuus. Helsinki: WSOY 2008. 506 pp.
  • Eneken Laanes: Lepitamatud dialoogid. subject ja mälu nõukogudejärgses eesti romaanis. Tartu: Tartu Ülikooli Kirjastus 2009. 206 p. (Dissertationes litterarum et contemplationis comparativae Universitatis Tartuensis 9)
  • Jaan Kross: bilan et découvertes. Actes de la journée Jaan Kross, 28 November 2008. Recueil publié under the direction of Martin Carayol. Paris: L'Harmattan / Adéfo 2011. 162 pp. (Bibliothèque finno-ougrienne 20)
  • Lea Pild (Ed.): Jaan Kross and Russian Culture (= Acta Slavica Estonica II). University of Tartu Press, Tartu 2012, ISBN 9789949322015 .

Articles, reviews (selection)

  • Dietmar Albrecht: Jaan Kross. Estonia's return to ecumenism. In: Dietmar Albrecht / Martin Thoemmes (eds.): Mare Balticum. Encounters with home, history and culture on the Baltic Sea. Martin Meidenbauer Verlagbuchhandlung, Munich 2005, pp. 67–84.
  • Andrzej Drawicz :. "Estonian Morning Dew". About the work of the Soviet Estonian writer Jaan Kross. - Eastern Europe, no 1/1979, pp. 37–43.
  • Karl-Markus Gauß : Dangerous Chronicles. - Die Zeit , No. 42, October 13, 1995 (literature supplement, p. 24).
  • Cornelius Hasselblatt: Jaan Kross. - Critical lexicon for contemporary foreign language literature. 51. Subsequent delivery. Munich: edition text + kritik 2000. 12 + 6 pp.
  • Ivo Iliste: Personalities of the Estonian National Awakening in the Prose of Jaan Kross. - National Movements in the Baltic Countries during the 19th Century, The 7th Conference on Baltic Studies in Scandinavia, Stockholm, June 10-13, 1983. Ed. Aleksander Loit. Stockholm 1985, 367-376 (Acta Universitatis Stockholmiensis. Studia Baltica Stockholmiensia 2)
  • Maire Jaanus: Estonia and pain: Jaan Kross' The Czar's Madman. - Journal of Baltic Studies 3/2000, pp. 253-272.
  • Tiina Kirss: History and narrative. An introduction to the fiction on Jaan Kross. - Cross Currents 6 (1987), pp. 397-404.
  • Tiina Kirss: The missing teeth of memory. - Estonia 4/1989, pp. 149-157.
  • Tiina Ann Kirss: Balthasar Russow at Koluvere. Peasant Rebellion in Jaan Kross' Between Three Plagues. - Novels, Histories, Novel Nations. Historical Fiction and Cultural Memory in Finland and Estonia. Edited by Linda Kaljundi, Eneken Laanes & Ilona Pikkanen. Helsinki: SKS 2015 (Studia Fennica Historica 19), pp. 257–278.
  • Hendrik Markgraf: Memory and poet of the Estonians: Jaan Kross. - FAZ Magazin February 22, 1991 (8th week, no. 573), pp. 13-18.
  • Beatrice von Matt: Journey to an uncrowned king. Conversation with the Estonian writer Jaan Kross. - Neue Zürcher Zeitung , International Edition, December 8, 1997, p. 23.
  • Christoph Neidhart : Revals un-Germans under the thumb. - Die Weltwoche February 25, 1988, p. 53.
  • Susanne Raubold: Jaan Kross: “If you want something essential, you stay at home”. - du. Die Zeitschrift der Kultur 12/1992, pp. 28–31.
  • Hain Rebas: Jaan Kross as an Estonian historian. - Baltica 4/1989, pp. 36-42.
  • Friedrich Scholz: The liberation of the word and the liberation through the word. On the work of the Estonian poet Jaan Kross. - Fernandez, MM Jocelyne / Raag, Raimo (eds.): Contacts de langues et de cultures dans l'aire baltique. Contacts of Languages ​​and Cultures in the Baltic Area. Mélanges offerts à Fanny de Sivers. Uppsala 1996, pp. 227-241 (Uppsala Multiethnic Papers 39).
  • Jürgen Serke: Be my fool, Timothy! Self-confident signals from Reval: Portrait of the Estonian writer Jaan Kross. - Die Welt, August 4, 1990, p. 21.
  • Erich Wulff : Surviving in the intangible. To Jaan Kross' novel Tabamatus. - Argument No. 258, 2004, pp. 850-856.

Web links

supporting documents

  1. ↑ Office of the Federal President
  2. ↑ Cornelius Hasselblatt : Jaan Kross. In: Critical lexicon for contemporary foreign language literature. 51. Subsequent delivery. edition text + kritik, Munich 2000.
  3. ↑ Cornelius Hasselblatt: Estonian Literature in the German Language 1784-2003. Bibliography of primary and secondary literature. Bremen: Hempen Verlag 2004, pp. 66–80.
  4. ↑ Cornelius Hasselblatt: Estonian literature in German translation. A reception story from the 19th to the 21st century. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz 2011, pp. 187–193.
  5. ↑ The Tsar's Madman. Jaan Kross in Loccum. Edited by Olaf Schwencke. Loccum: Evangelical Academy 1990. (Loccumer Protocols 58 / '89).
  6. ↑ Cornelius Hasselblatt: Estonian literature in German translation. A reception story from the 19th to the 21st century. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz 2011, pp. 314–341
  7. ↑ Cornelius Hasselblatt: Estonian literature in German translation. A reception story from the 19th to the 21st century. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz 2011, p. 323.
personal data
SURNAME Kross, Jaan
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Estonian writer
DATE OF BIRTH February 19, 1920
PLACE OF BIRTH Tallinn
DATE OF DEATH December 27, 2007
Place of death Tallinn