Marie Under

Marie Under

Marie Under circa 1899.
Born (1883-03-27)27 March 1883
Tallinn, Russian Empire
Died 25 September 1980(1980-09-25) (aged 97)
Stockholm, Sweden
Nationality Estonian
Literary movement Siuru, Tarapita
Spouse Carl Hacker, Artur Adson

Marie Under (27 March [O.S. 15 March] 1883 – 25 September 1980) was one of the greatest Estonian poets.

Early life

Under was born in Tallinn, and attended a private German girls' school. After graduating, she worked as a salesclerk in a bookstore. In her free time, she wrote poetry in German. In 1902, she married an Estonian accountant, Carl Hacker. The couple had two children in Kuchino, a suburb of Moscow. However, in 1904, she fell in love with the Estonian artist Ants Laikmaa. Laikmaa convinced her to translate her poetry into Estonian and submitted her translated works to local newspapers.

Portrait of Marie Under by Estonian artist Ants Laikmaa in 1904

Return to Estonia

In 1906, Under returned to Reval. In 1913, she met Artur Adson, who became her secretary. He also compiled the first volumes of her published poetry. In 1924, Under divorced Carl Hacker and married Adson.

Under was one of the founders of Estonian Writers' Union in 1922.[1]

In the 1920s, Under was a frequent visitor at the house of Igor Severyanin, a Russian poet, in the village of Toila, where she often was on holiday. Severyanin published a book of translations from Under.[2] Severyanin did not speak Estonian and used word-by-word translations as a basis.[3]

Life in Exile

Beginning in September 1944, the U.S.S.R. reoccupied Estonia. Under and her family fled to Sweden. They spent almost a year in a refugee camp. In 1945, the family moved to Mälarhöjden, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, where Under lived until her death on September 25, 1980. She died in Stockholm and is buried in the Skogskyrkogården in Stockholm. In January 2015 it was announced that she was to be reburied in Estonia.[1]

Translations

Under's work was translated into at least 26 languages. She is one of the best translated Estonian authors.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 Tambur, S. (4 January 2015). "Estonia's most influential poet to be reburied". Eesti Rahvusringhääling. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  2. ↑ Шумаков, Юрий. "Игорь Северянин в Эстонии" (in Russian). Встреча. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  3. ↑ "Игорь Северянин" (in Russian). Век Перевода. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  4. ↑ "Marie Under". Estonian Literature Centre. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  5. 1 2 "Ундер Мария (Marie Under)" (in Russian). National Library of the Republic of Komi. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
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