Albert Kivikas Explained

Albert Kivikas
Pseudonym:A.Pedajas, Mart Karus
Birth Date:18 January 1898
Birth Place:Groß-St. Johannis, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire
Death Place:Lund, Sweden
Subject:Estonian War of Independence
Occupation:writer, journalist
Movement:futurism, expressionism
Nationality:Estonian
Period:1919 - 1963
Notableworks:Names in Marble, Black Blood

Albert Kivikas (in Groß-St. Johannis, Livonia, Russian Empire – 19 May 1978 in Lund) was an Estonian writer and journalist. He is best known as the author of the book Names in Marble (Estonian: Nimed marmortahvlil), the subject of which is the Estonian War of Independence.

Life

Albert Kivikas was born in Suure-Jaani, which at the time was part of the Russian Empire. His mother, Anu Kivikas, was a weaver. In his youth, he published some of his works by the names A. Pedajas and Mart Karus. After the Estonian War of Independence, in which he participated as a volunteer, Kivikas became one of the few writers in Estonia to experiment with futurism. However, his best works are novels and short stories dealing with war and social problems in the rural environment.

From 1941 to 1944, he served as chairman of the Estonian Writers' Union. In the spring of 1944, Kivikas went into exile in Finland and from there in the autumn of 1944 on to Sweden, where he lived until the end of his life.