Debora Vaarandi, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Debora Vaarandi

Estonian author and writer (1916-2007)

Date of Birth: 01-Oct-1916

Place of Birth: Võru, Võru County, Estonia

Date of Death: 28-Apr-2007

Profession: writer, poet, translator, author

Nationality: Estonia

Zodiac Sign: Libra

Debora Vaarandi (October 1, 1916 – April 28, 2007) was an Estonian writer, considered to be a leading literary figure in post-World War II Estonia.She was born in Võru and grew up on the island of Saaremaa.
Vaarandi studied language and literature at the University of Tartu.
She joined the Communist Party of Estonia in 1940.
When the Germans invaded Estonia, she escaped to Russia, returning to Estonia in 1944.
Although not trained as a journalist, she worked as editor in chief of the Communistic publication Sirbi ja Vasara.
She was forced to resign that post after contracting tuberculosis.In 1936, she married Aadu Hint; the couple later divorced.
In 1952, she married writer Juhan Smuul.In 1946, her first collection of poetry Põleva laotuse all ("Under a Blazing Sky") was published.
Her work celebrates values such as the love of nature, the importance of family and the beauty of small things.
Many of her poems have been set to music.
After 1977, she focused on translating works by Anna Akhmatova, Georg Trakl and Edith Södergran into Estonian.
She was awarded the Order of the White Rose of Finland for her work in translating Finnish poetry into Estonian.In 1965, she received the first Juhan Liiv Poetry Award and, in 2005, she was recognized with the Cultural Award of the Republic of Estonia for outstanding lifetime achievement.