Gustav Suits facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gustav Suits
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| Born | 18 November 1883 Võnnu, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire
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| Died | 23 May 1956 (aged 72) |
| Occupation | Poet, writer |
| Years active | 1899–1956 |
| Spouse(s) | Aino Emilia Suits (née Thauvón) |
Gustav Suits was a very important Estonian poet. Many people think he was one of the best poets from Estonia. He was also a leader of a group called Noor-Eesti, which means "Young Estonia." This group focused on new ideas in writing. He was born on November 18, 1883, in Võnnu, Livonia, and passed away on May 23, 1956, in Stockholm, Sweden.
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Early Life and School
Gustav Suits was born in a place called Võnnu. His father, Hindrik Suits, was a teacher, and his mother was Liis Suits. He had an older sister named Ann.
In 1895, Gustav moved to Tartu, Estonia. This was a busy city with a university. He went to the Alexander Gymnasium there. Gustav loved the city's lively feel and its smart people. He decided he wanted to be part of the writing world.
When he was just 16 years old, a newspaper called Uus Aeg (which means New Time) printed his first essay. In 1899, the same newspaper published his very first poem, called Water Lilies.
His Writing Career
In 1901, Gustav Suits started spending his summers teaching German and French. In that same year, he started a writing group called "Friends of Literature" (Kirjanduse Sõbrad). A famous writer named Anton Hansen Tammsaare was part of this group. The group also published a journal called "Rays" (Kiired).
Between 1905 and 1916, Suits was a key person in the Estonian writing group known as Noor-Eesti, or Young Estonia. During these years, Noor-Eesti became very active. They brought new ideas from Europe into Estonian literature. They also shared Estonian writing styles with Europe. From 1917 to 1919, Suits was involved in politics with the Estonian Socialist Revolutionary Party.
In 1921, Gustav Suits became the first person to teach literature in Estonian at a university level. He taught until 1944. During this time, he wrote many research papers about Estonian literature. In 1924, Suits also started the Estonian Academic Literary Society.
In 1941, Gustav Suits lost his home in a fire. Hundreds of his written works were also destroyed.
In 1944, about 70,000 Estonians, including Suits and his family, left Estonia. This was because the Soviet Union was taking control of Estonia. He and his family moved to Stockholm, Sweden. Gustav Suits wrote most of his poems and research papers while living there.
Writing Style and Themes
Gustav Suits's poems often mix very personal feelings with big ideas. He frequently wrote about Estonian history and the future of people. His early poems showed the feeling of change happening in Estonia between 1900 and 1917. They also reflected the energy of the youth movement.
After the revolution, his poems sometimes had strong, romantic, or even sad feelings. Suits often used symbolism, metaphors (comparing two different things), and allusions (referring to something well-known) in his writing.
Famous Works
- The Fire of Life
- The Land of Winds (Tuulemaa)
- All is But a Dream
- Fire and Wind
His Final Years
In 1956, Gustav Suits became very ill and passed away. He is buried in a cemetery called the Skogskyrkogården.
Images for kids
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Portrait of Gustav Suits by Nikolai Triik (1928)
