Oskar Luts facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Oskar Luts
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 7 January 1887 (O.S. 26 December 1886) Järvepera, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire |
| Died | 23 March 1953 (aged 66) Tartu, Estonia |
| Nationality | Estonian |
Oskar Luts (born January 7, 1887 – died March 23, 1953) was a well-known Estonian writer and playwright. He wrote many popular stories and plays.
About Oskar Luts
Oskar Luts was born in a family that was not rich or poor, in a place called Järvepera. This was in central Estonia, which was part of the Russian Empire back then. His younger brother, Theodor Luts, became a film director.
Oskar went to village school in Änkküla in 1894. From 1895 to 1899, he attended Palamuse Parish school. He then studied at the Tartu Reaalkool from 1899 to 1902. In 1903, Oskar started working as an apprentice (a helper learning a trade) for an apothecary (a person who prepared and sold medicines) in Tartu and Narva. He continued this work in Tallinn in 1903.
During his time in the military in Saint Petersburg (1909–1911), he also worked as an apothecary. He kept doing this job in Dorpat (which is now Tartu) while studying pharmacy at the university.
Life During Wartime
When World War I began, Oskar Luts joined the Russian army. He worked as a military pharmacist. He was stationed in several cities like Pskov, Warsaw, Daugavpils, Vilnius, and Vitebsk (from 1915 to 1918). He got married in Vitebsk.
In the autumn of 1918, Oskar Luts left the military because of his health. He returned to Tartu with his family that same year. He started working as an apothecary again. From 1919 to 1920, he worked at the university library. After that, he managed a store. In 1922, he began his full-time career as a writer.
Later Life and Legacy
In 1936, Luts moved into his home on Riia Street in Tartu. This house was later turned into a museum in 1964, so people can visit and learn about his life.
Oskar Luts was the first Estonian writer to be given the special title of People's Writer of the Estonian SSR. He received this honor in 1945.
Oskar Luts is buried in the Ropka-Tamme cemetery. Today, some streets and buildings in Estonia are named after him. The Oskar Lutsu Palamuse Gümnaasium in Palamuse is one example, named to remember him.
Oskar Luts's Books and Plays
Oskar Luts wrote some of his most cheerful stories before World War I. He wrote several funny plays. He also wrote his first novel, called Kevade (Spring). The first part came out in 1912, and the second in 1913. This book became very popular. It showed the everyday school life of young people in the Estonian countryside. Kevade is still Oskar Luts's most famous and loved work.
The adventures of the same characters continued in Luts's novel Suvi (Summer). The first part was published in 1918, and the second in 1919. This book also became quite popular. He wrote more sequels like Tootsi pulm (Toots's Wedding) and Argipäev (Workdays). He also wrote the novel Sügis (Autumn), with the first part in 1938. While these books were written because people wanted more, they were not as popular as his first works. After World War I, his stories became less humorous and a bit sadder. The second part of Sügis was not published until 1988.
Many popular Estonian films have been made based on his books. These include Spring, Summer (1976 film) (based on Suvi and Tootsi pulm), and Autumn (1990 film) (based on Argipäev and Sügis). All these films were directed by Arvo Kruusement.
Oskar Luts also wrote books especially for children. His most popular children's book is Nukitsamees (1920). This book was also made into a film in 1981, called Nukitsamees. The music for the Nukitsamees film was written by Olav Ehala, and it is as popular as the movie itself!
As a writer of plays, Oskar Luts is best known for Kapsapea (The Cabbage). There is even an animated cartoon based on this story. The cartoon is about a giant cabbage that grows in an Estonian family's garden. This amazing cabbage becomes famous in countries like the US, Russia, and China.
Oskar Luts's books have been translated into many different languages, so people all over the world can enjoy his stories.
