Artur Alliksaar

Artur Alliksaar (April 15, 1923 – August 12, 1966) was an Estonian poet.

Biography

Alliksaar (formerly Alnek) attended an elementary school in Tartu in 1931. In 1937 he was accepted to Hugo Treffner Gymnasium, after which he worked at railways like his father for a short period of time in 1942. In that same year he started to study law in the University of Tartu.

1943–1944 he served voluntarily in the Estonian Legion of Waffen-SS^[1]. He fought in 1944 on the Eastern Front against the Red Army and when Soviets occupied Estonia, he spent some time as a Forest Brother.

Later he came back to Tartu and again worked as a railway worker.

In 1949 Alliksaar was imprisoned by Soviet authorities on charges of misuse of position. However, the charges were questionable and poet himself considered the reason for his imprisonment political. In 1954 another charge was added: betrayal of homeland. After his release in 1957 Alliksaar was prohibited to return to Estonia and he lived in Vologda oblast. He secretly returned to Tartu in 1958. Back at home he worked in brewery, construction and at railways and dedicated himself to creative activities.

Artur Alliksaar lived through many hardships. He was repressed and defamed by authorities of this era. His house burned to the ground and he was forced to live in dirt-floored shed or garage. His wife and son were suffering pneumonia.

Alliksaar died of anal cancer.

Creative life

In his poetry Alliksaar celebrates the choice, the individual and freedom. His poems are innovative and era-critical. He mainly wrote in free verse and his verses are characterised with very creative use of language and wordplays. Alliksaar has been idolised by many Estonian poets because of his creation and his passion, his recklessness and bohemian nature.

Although only few of Alliksaar's poems were published during his lifetime, he was still well-known. He wrote one play, Nimetu Saar (Nameless Island), which he lived to see. In 1997, a complete collection of his poems, Päikesepillaja (Lavishing Sunlight), was published and became a bestseller. He has also translated poetry.

Sources

• Alliksaar, Artur (2004). Päikesepillaja. ILMAMAA. ISBN 9985-77-116-8. 
• Jaanson, Kaido. "Artur Alliksaar". Archived from the original on 2007-07-10. http://web.archive.org/web/20070710053855/http://www.kesknadal.ee/index.php?aid=8676. Retrieved 2007-08-17. 
• Juske, Ants. "Pole paremaid, halvemaid aegu…". http://www.epl.ee/artikkel/374743. Retrieved 2007-08-17. 
• "Authors and translators". http://www.smith.edu/metamorphoses/biograph.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-17. ^{[dead link]}

References

1. ^ Artur Alliksaar: rohkem kui legend

Persondata
Name	Alliksaar, Artur
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1923-04-15
Place of birth
Date of death	1966-08-12
Place of death