Jaan Lattik

Jaan Lattik

Jaan Lattik (born October 10 ^{. Jul} / 22. October  1878 ^greg. In the yard Mäkiste, then parish Karula / Estonia ; † 27. June 1967 in Stockholm / Sweden ) was an Estonian politician , writer and theologian. He was Foreign Minister of the Republic of Estonia from 1928 to 1931.

Youth and education

Jaan Lattik was born into a simple farming family. The parents recognized the boy's intellectual potential early on. Lattik first attended the elementary school in Valga , then in 1893/94 the renowned Hugo-Treffner-Gymnasium in Tartu and from 1896 to 1902 the gymnasium in Tallinn . From 1902 to 1908 he studied theology at the University of Tartu . He spent the year of practical training in 1908/09 in Saint Petersburg at the Estonian community there. From 1909 to 1939 he was pastor of Viljandi . From 1909 to 1912 he took over the management of the local Progymnasium (girls' school). In 1914 his brother-in-law Edgar Haßmann was his adjunct.

Politician

With the independence of the Republic of Estonia, Lattik also became politically active. He was the founder of the Christian People's Party ( Kristlik Rahvaerakond ) and its long-time chairman. From 1919 to 1937 he was a member of the Estonian Parliament ( Riigikogu ).

From December 17, 1925 to December 10, 1927, Jaan Lattik was Minister of Education and from December 1928 to February 1931 Foreign Minister of the Republic of Estonia in the cabinets of August Rei and Otto August Strandman . During his tenure, he was particularly committed to closer cooperation between the Baltic states. From 1939 until the occupation of Estonia by the Soviet Union in 1940, he was the Estonian envoy to Lithuania .

In 1940 Lattik returned to Estonia and briefly joined the resistance movement against the Soviet occupiers. In 1944 he managed to escape into exile in Sweden, where he worked as a pastor, author and publicist in Södertälje .

writer

Jaan Lattik was active as a writer in both Estonian and the South Estonian Võro language . As a high school student, he published his first stories and poems in the Postimees newspaper . His Christian and rural background plays a big role in his work. Then as now, Lattik is one of the most important and influential writers in the dialect of southern Estonia . His cheerful children's books, often inspired by their own childhood memories, are particularly popular.

Most important works

• 1907 "Meie noored" (youth story)
• 1921 "Minu kodust" (youth stories)
• 1924 "aghu pruut ja Katkised käed "(short stories)
• 1928 "Zunu pruut" (story)
• 1924 "Martin Luter" (biography)
• 1925 "Lõunamaalõ" (travel impressions from Palestine )
• 1928 "Koolipoisid" (short stories)
• 1928 "Mets" (short stories)
• 1932 "Elavad söed" (short stories)
• 1946 "Räägi mulle üks jutt" (fairy tale)
• 1948 "Viljandi kirikumõis kõneleb" (memories)
• 1950 "Teekond läbi öö" (Memoirs, 1st volume)
• 1951 "Mõrsjapärg" (short stories)
• 1952 "Meie noored" (anthology with stories)
• 1952 "Teekond läbi öö" (Memoirs, 2nd volume)
• 1953 "Talupoja laul" (short stories)
• 1955 "Teekond läbi öö" (Memoirs, 3rd volume)
• 1958 "Teekond läbi öö" (Memoirs, 4th volume)
• 1960 "Minu album" (memories)
• 1961 "Tulge vee juurde" (short stories)
• 1964 "Teda ei ole siin" (novel)
• 1998 "Kui meil veel püksa ei olnud" (selection of his works, edited by Hando Runnel )

Web links

Commons : Jaan Lattik  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Jaan Lattik - Life and Work (Sakala newspaper, Estonian)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Entry in the baptismal register of the Karolen community (Estonian: Karula kogudus)