Paul Kuusberg

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Paul Kuusberg (born April 30, 1916 in Tallinn , † January 21, 2003 ibid) was an Estonian writer .

Life

Paul Kuusberg was born the son of a construction worker in Tallinn. He initially worked in construction himself. From 1942 to 1946 he was the editor of the newspaper of the Estonian Rifle Corps of the Red Army , Tasuja . After the war he graduated from the CPSU party school in Moscow , of which he was a member.

From 1957 to 1960 and from 1968 to 1976 he was editor-in-chief of the Estonian cultural magazine Looming and the communist newspaper Rahva Hääl . From 1960 to 1983 he was intermittently chairman of the Writers' Union of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic . In 1976 and 1984 he was awarded the Order of Lenin . He was the only Estonian writer to be awarded the Soviet gold medal as a hero of socialist labor . However, despite his communist convictions, Kuusberg campaigned for the literary freedom of Estonian writers from communist control.

Literary work

Paul Kuusberg initially made a name for himself as a cultural ideologist, journalist and political publicist during the Soviet occupation of Estonia. It was only later that he found his actual literary talent. The debut work Müürid (1957) is about personal life experiences. His breakthrough came in 1960/61 with Enn Kalmu kaks mina , which describes the fate of the Estonians who fought on the Soviet side in World War II . Andres Lapeteuse juhtum (1963) and Südasuvel (1966, German Bitter Summer 1973) are characterized by masterful descriptions of their lives . In the novel Vihmapiisad (1976, German Raindropfen 1980), he dealt particularly with the political system upheaval in Estonia after the Second World War. For the two novellas RoOSTanud kastekann (1971) ja Võõras või õige mees (1978) he received the literature prize named after Friedebert Tuglas . Other important works are Naeratus (1971), Üks öö (1972), Linnukesega (1977), Kes nad olid? (1986). His works have been translated into over 30 languages.

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personal data
SURNAME Kuusberg, Paul
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Estonian writer
DATE OF BIRTH April 30, 1916
PLACE OF BIRTH Tallinn
DATE OF DEATH January 21, 2003
Place of death Tallinn