Albert Kivikas

Albert Kivikas
Albert Kivikas in 1930
Born	18 January 1898 Suure-Jaani, Governorate of Livonia
Died	19 May 1978 (aged 80) Lund, Sweden
Pen name	A.Pedajas, Mart Karus
Occupation	writer, journalist
Nationality	Estonian
Period	1919 - 1963
Subject	Estonian War of Independence
Literary movement	futurism, expressionism
Notable works	Names in Marble, Black Blood

Albert Kivikas (18 January [O.S. 6 January] 1898 in Suure-Jaani – 19 May 1978 in Lund) was an Estonian writer and journalist. He is best known as the author of the book Names in Marble (Estonian: "Nimed marmortahvlil"), the subject of which is the Estonian War of Independence.

Life

Albert Kivikas was born in Suure-Jaani, which at the time was part of the Russian Empire. His mother Anu Kivikas was a weaver. In his youth he published some of his works under the names A. Pedajas and Mart Karus. After the Estonian War of Independence, in which he participated as a volunteer, Kivikas became one of the few writers in Estonia to experiment with futurism. However, his best works are novels and short stories dealing with war and social problems in the rural environment.

From 1941 to 1944 he served as a chairman of the Estonian Writers' Union. In spring 1944, Kivikas went into exile in Finland and from there in autumn 1944 on to Sweden where he lived till the end of his life.