August Sang facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
August Sang
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| Born | 27 July 1914 |
| Died | 14 October 1969 (aged 55) |
| Occupation | Poet, literary translator |
| Years active | 1934–1959 |
| Spouse(s) | Kersti Merilaas |
August Sang (born July 27, 1914 – died October 14, 1969) was an important Estonian poet. He also translated many books and poems from other languages. He was part of a special writing group called Arbujad. This group brought new ideas to Estonian poetry before World War II. August Sang was famous for translating poetry from German, Russian, French, and Czech.
Life and Work
August Sang was born in Pärnu, Estonia. He finished high school there in 1932. His parents were Jakob and Akelina Sang. August was the oldest of three brothers.
After serving in the military, he studied at the University of Tartu. He studied philosophy from 1934 to 1942. Sometimes he had to stop his studies to earn money.
August Sang started writing poetry when he was only eight years old. In 1934, he used the pen name Injo. He won a writing contest for young people with his poem Improvisatsioon. That same year, his work appeared in the famous magazine Looming.
His first book of poems, Üks noormees otsib õnne, came out in 1936. This book made him well-known. He also wrote many reviews and essays about literature. In the late 1930s, he joined the Arbujad writing group. This group included other famous writers like Kersti Merilaas and Betti Alver. Sang's second book of poems, Müürid, was published in 1939.
In 1936, August Sang married Kersti Merilaas. She was also an Estonian poet and translator. They had a son named Joel Sang in 1950. Both August and Kersti were key members of the Arbujad writers' group.
After Estonia was taken over by the Soviet Union, Sang joined the Soviet Estonia Writers Union in 1945. However, he was removed from the union in 1950. It was not until 1955 that he was allowed to work as a writer again. A year later, he rejoined the Writers' Union. He passed away in Tallinn when he was 55 years old.
Besides his own writing, August Sang translated many poems and stories. He translated works from German, Russian, French, and Czech into Estonian. Some of the authors he translated include Goethe, Maxim Gorky, and Franz Kafka. Sang especially liked the works of Vítězslav Nezval. It is said that Nezval's work inspired Sang to learn the Czech language.
Legacy
In 2018, a special award was created in August Sang's honor. It is called the August Sang poetry translation award. This award is given every August for the best poetry translation. It celebrates the best translation published in the past year.
Works
- Üks noormees otsib õnne (1936)
- Arbujad: valimik uusimat eesti lüürikat (compilation 1938)
- Heinrich Heine (biography, 1938)
- Müürid (1939)
- Võileib suudlusega (1963)
- Sada laulu (selected collection, 1965)
- Luuletused (selected collection, 1970)
- Väike luuleraamat (selected collection, 1971)
- Laenatud laulud (anthology of translations in two volumes, 1973–74)
- Laulud (selected collection, 1977)
- Emajõe unisel veerel (posthumous anthology, 2003)
