Alide Ertel (also Aliide Ertel;[1] pseudonyms E. Tammistu and Heiti Lehtme,[2] July 25 [O.S. July 13] 1877 – December 20, 1955)[3] was an Estonian prose writer, playwright, and poet.[4][5][6]

Alide Ertel
Born(1877-07-25)July 25, 1877
Kiviküla, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire
Died20 December 1955(1955-12-20) (aged 78)
Arula, Estonia
OccupationWriter
LanguageEstonian
Genre

Life

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Alide Ertel was born in Kiviküla in the Governorate of Livonia in the Russian Empire. She graduated from the Salomon Higher School for Girls in Tartu in 1893 as a private school teacher. From 1894 to 1896, she operated a small private school at her father's farm. From 1896 to 1899, she worked as a private school teacher in the Kostroma Governorate in Russia. She spent 1899 to 1900 in Paris, where she originally wanted to study medicine, but her plans fell through.[1] She then worked alternately in agriculture and education in Estonia, and at the time of the Russian Revolution of 1905 she traveled to Finland and Germany. From 1911 to 1914 she worked again as a private tutor, this time in Moscow.

In 1914 she returned to Estonia and became the director of a primary school in Otepää Parish. From 1921 to 1925 she was a teacher in Pärnu and then for two years in Kärdla on Hiiumaa. She later lived in Tartu, Pärnu, and Tallinn before moving to Elva in the late 1930s. She spent her last years in Arula, where she also died.[1]

Work

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Ertel began her literary activity at the end of the 19th century, when her texts appeared in various daily newspapers. Her book debut came in 1910 with the story Rooste (Rust), which describes the miserable life in a poorhouse. She also often dealt with social issues and marginalized social groups in her other works.[7] However, whereas Rooste was positively received by critics, the later works received much more reserved reviews.[8]

Bibliography

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  • Rooste (Rust). In: Postimees, Tartu, 1910. 99 pp.
  • Allegooriad (Allegories). Tartu, 1919. 72 pp.
  • Kiirte pärg. Muinasdraam (A Wreath of Rays. An Ancient Drama). Tartu, 1919. 84 pp.
  • Lilla lehekesed. Ajalooline romaan (Purple Leaflets. A Historical Novel). Tartu, 1919. 124 pp.
  • Pühajärv. Muinasdraam (Sacred Lake. An Ancient Drama). Tartu, 1919. 60 pp.
  • Moodne daam. Kolm novelli (The Modern Lady. Three Short Stories). Tartu, 1919. 87 pp.
  • Muinelmad (Memories). Tartu, 1929. 32 pp.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Kruus, Oskar (1971). Naine hanesulega: kirjutisi naiskirjanikest. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat. pp. 88–99.
  2. ^ Grauberg, Taimi (2023). "Elu nagu algebra: Alide Erteli elu ja looming". Keel ja Kirjandus (8–9). ISSN 0131-1441. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  3. ^ A ja O taskuteatmik: sünnipäevad. Tallinn: Eesti Entsüklopeediakirjastuse AS. 2005. p. 235.
  4. ^ Kruus, Oskar; Puhvel, Heino (2000). Eesti kirjanike leksikon. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat. p. 82.
  5. ^ Hasselblatt, Cornelius Th. (2006). Geschichte der estnischen Literatur: Von den Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart. Berlin: De Gruyter. p. 354.
  6. ^ Zirin, Mary; Worobec, Christine D. (2007). Women and Gender in Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, and Eurasia: A Comprehensive Bibliography. Volume II. Russia, the Non-Russian Peoples of the Russian Federation, and the Successor States of the Soviet Union. Armonk, NY: Association for Women in Slavic Studies. ISBN 978-0-76560-737-9.
  7. ^ Hasselblatt, Cornelius (2006). Geschichte der estnischen Literatur. Von den Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. pp. 380–381. ISBN 3-11-018025-1.
  8. ^ Grauberg, Taimi (2023). "Elu nagu algebra. Alide Erteli elu ja looming". Keel ja Kirjandus. 8–9: 840.