Jaan Kaplinski

Jaan Kaplinsky ( born January 22, 1941 in Tartu ) is an Estonian writer, poet, translator, and philosopher.

• 2.1 German translations

Life

Jaan Kaplinsky was born the son of an Estonian mother and a Polish father. Both parents were philologists. The father died in the deportation camps of the Soviet Union, in which he had been deported during the occupation of Estonia. Jaan Kaplinski first studied linguistics at the University of Tartu. In 1966 he completed his studies in Romance. He then worked as a sociologist, translator and writer. Already early on Kaplinsky earned a reputation as one of the most important poets of the Estonian modernism.

From 1974 to 1980 he was in charge of ecology in the Botanical Garden of Tallinn.

1983 to 1988 he was a lecturer in international literature and translation at the University of Tartu. Since 1994 he is member of the Académie Universelle des Cultures. 1996-1997 took him a visiting professorship at the University of Tampere. In 1997 he was writer in residence in Wales, in the same year he received the prize of the Baltic Assembly. For his poetry, he had received the 1968 Juhan - Liiv Prize and in 1985 Juhan - Smuul price.

Jaan Kaplinsky is now one of the most influential poet of Estonian literature. His often meditative poems draw in part from the Eastern philosophy and spiritual world ( Taoism and Buddhism). He is also active in journalism as an essayist, literary critic and philosopher. Recurring themes of left-wing intellectuals are the man under capitalism, and the crimes of Communist totalitarianism.

Since 1965 he has published a total of 14 collections of poetry, five collections of essays and several prose works. He also writes poems in English, French and Võro.

In addition Jaan Kaplinsky is active as a translator from English, French, Spanish, Swedish and Chinese.

Politician

With the restoration of Estonian independence, Jaan Kaplinski engaged politically. From 1992 to 1995 he was a member of the Estonian Parliament ( Riigikogu ). Although he originally was a member of the Centre Party, he resigned in protest against authoritarian leadership from the party and formed with other independent MPs, the Liberal Centrist Group (until 1995 ). In 2004, he joined the Social Democratic Party ( Eesti Sotsiaaldemokraatlik Erakond ) for which he was a member of the city council of Tartu.

Private life

Jaan Kaplinsky is married in second marriage with the writer Tiia Toomet and has one daughter and four sons.

Works

A total of 40 books, including 14 volumes of poetry, six books of essays, philosophical oriented travel books, 3 and 4 pieces of children's books.

• Teekond Ayia Triad Aces (1993 )
• Jää yes Titanic (1995 )
• Mitu suve yes kevadet (1995 )
• Lake yes proteins (1996 )
• Öölinnud. Öömõtted (1998)
• Kevad KaHel rannikul ehk tundeline teekond Ameerikasse (2000)
• Ööd valged yes mustad. Kirjavahetus aastast 2001 (2003)
• Isale (2003)
• Silm. Hector (2005)
• Kaks päikest. Teistmoodi muinaslood (2005)

German translations

• Poetry selections in estonia Journal of Estonian Literature ( 4/1988, 2/94, 1/99, 2/ 2002)
• In: Life is still new - anthology. Karlsruhe 1992