Noor-Eesti

Cover of the first album from 1905

Noor-Eesti ( Young Estonia ) was a neo-romantic literary movement that came together in Estonia in 1903 . The pioneer was the poet Gustav Suits .

Origin, members and program

In 1903 a group of schoolchildren and students interested in politics and literature gathered. Two years later they published their first anthology under the title Noor-Eesti . It became the programmatic meeting point and later namesake of a loose group of the most important young poets of the time.

The group included Gustav Suits , Friedebert Tuglas , Bernhard Linde , Johannes Aavik , Villem Grünthal-Ridala , Aino Kallas , Jaan Oks and August Alle as the most important representatives. They also exerted influence on the work of Anton Hansen Tammsaare . In the vicinity of Noor-Eesti stood the visual artists Nikolai Triik , Kristjan Raud and Konrad Mägi , who contributed to the work of Noor-Eesti with book illustrations .

Gustav Suits formulated the group's three mottos in 1905 in the group's first album: "Jeunesse oblige", "More culture" ( Enam kultuuri ) and "Let us be Estonians, but shall we also become Europeans!" ( Olgem eestlased, aga saagem ka eurooplasteks! ). Noor-Eesti saw himself as a counter-image to the "old" German Baltic elite. The Estonians should finally say goodbye to life as a farmer and find an intellectual connection to Europe. Noor-Eesti was influenced by similar movements in other European countries, such as the Jungletten and Nuori Suomi ("Young Finland").

The aesthetic concept followed the contemporary currents of the time and took on impressionist , symbolist and expressionist influences. A lot of impulses came from Finland , where numerous participants were studying. Noor-Eesti also opened up strongly to the currents of German, Russian, Scandinavian, French and Italian literature. In addition to its cultural and literary importance, Noor-Eesti played a major role in the strengthening of Estonian national consciousness.

Noor-Eesti published five albums ( albumid ) between 1905 and 1916 . In addition, Noor-Eesti published the literature, art and science magazine Noor Eesti: kirjanduse, kunsti ja teaduste ajakiri (a total of six issues) in 1910/11 . In 1912 Noor-Eesti was officially registered as an association in Tartu with 61 founding members .

Noor-Eesti exerted great influence on Estonian literature and the expansion of the Estonian language between 1905 and 1919 . The group Siuru represents a further development , which turned away from the intellectualism of Noor-Eesti and turned to more human feelings.

literature

• Cornelius Hasselblatt . History of Estonian Literature. Berlin, New York 2006. ISBN 3-11-018025-1 , pp. 355-361
• Noor-Eesti 100. Kriitilisi ja võrdlevaid tagasivaateid. Young Estonia 100. Critical and comparative retrospective. Koost. yes toim. Elo Lindsalu. Tallinn: TLÜ Kirjastus 2006. 174 pp.

Remarks

1. ^ "Noor Eesti" I -1905, II -1907, III - 1909, IV -1912 and V - 1915