Juhan Viiding
Encyclopedia
Juhan Viiding also known under the pseudonym
of Jüri Üdi was an Estonia
n poet
and actor
.
to Linda and Paul Viiding
. His father Paul was also a well-known poet in Estonia who had belonged to the influential Arbujad
(Soothsayers) - a collective group of eight young influential poets who rose to prominence before the outbreak of World War II
. Juhan was the youngest of four children and the only boy—his older sisters were Reet, Anni and Mari. He was an intellectually precocious and restless youngster. Between the years 1968 and 1972, Viiding studied theatre and stagecraft in Tallinn's National Conservatoire.
During the last ten years of his life Viiding staged many plays. His favourite playwright
s were Samuel Beckett
, Ionesco
, and Betsuyaku.
Viiding worked at the Estonian Drama Theatre until his death on February 21, 1995.
under the pseudonym
Jüri Üdi (George Marrow) was the brightest talent to appear in Estonia
n poetry in the 1970s. Unlike the major poets of the immediately preceding generation (Rummo, Kaplinski, Runnel), he never wrote essays or criticism.
The heteronymic poetics of the modern Portuguese classic Fernando Pessoa
(whose selected poetry was translated into Estonian
in 1973), may have served as an impulse for Juhan Viiding to create the poet Jüri Üdi. However, the difference between the works published under the author's name and his pseudonym is that the "marrow" of Juhan Viiding’s poetry remained in his George Marrow pseudonym; what followed, under his authentic name, lacked the former brilliance. Jüri Üdi’s playfulness and rich undertones gave way to a more direct and pathetic expression. One can only guess if Viiding’s intention was to develop another poetic voice, in addition to that of Jüri Üdi, or he simply realized that the Soviet era of ideological symbols—finely described in his "Jüri’s Yarn"—was coming to an end and the actor Jüri Üdi could change his masks for Juhan Viiding’s true literary face.
Juhan Viiding's daughter, Elo Viiding
, is also a poet
.
Aastalaat (Year's Fair, 1971)
Detsember (December, 1971)
Käekäik (1973)
Selges eesti keeles (In Plain Estonian, 1974) Note: As a footnote of the title Viiding requested that the name of the language in the title has to be renamed to the one that was used for translating. Therefore the translation of the title should be "In Plain English"
Armastuskirjad (Love Letters, 1975)
Mina olin Jüri Üdi (I Was George Marrow, 1978)
Elulootus (Hope of Life/Being without a Biography, 1980) Note: Due to the clever word-play in the title as it is in the original Estonian, both of the "translations" presented here are correct. In an interview, Viiding himself admitted that the double-meaning in the title was intentional.
Tänan ja Palun (Cheers and Please, 1983)
Osa (Part, 1991)
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of Jüri Üdi was an Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Childhood, education, and family
Juhan Viiding was born June 1, 1948 in TallinnTallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
to Linda and Paul Viiding
Paul Viiding
Paul Viiding was an Estonian poet, author and literary critic.Born in Valga, Estonia, he graduated with a degree in mathematics in Tartu before pursuing a career as an author and poet. He was a member of the influential group of Estonian poets brought together in 1938 by literary scholar Ants Oras...
. His father Paul was also a well-known poet in Estonia who had belonged to the influential Arbujad
Arbujad
Arbujad was the collective name for a loose group of eight Estonian poets, which represented a new direction in Estonian poetry before the outbreak of World War II...
(Soothsayers) - a collective group of eight young influential poets who rose to prominence before the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Juhan was the youngest of four children and the only boy—his older sisters were Reet, Anni and Mari. He was an intellectually precocious and restless youngster. Between the years 1968 and 1972, Viiding studied theatre and stagecraft in Tallinn's National Conservatoire.
Dramatic career
Upon his graduation in 1972, Viiding worked in Tallinn's National Drama Theatre (now the Estonian Drama Theatre).During the last ten years of his life Viiding staged many plays. His favourite playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
s were Samuel Beckett
Samuel Beckett
Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet. He wrote both in English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black comedy and gallows humour.Beckett is widely regarded as among the most...
, Ionesco
Eugène Ionesco
Eugène Ionesco was a Romanian and French playwright and dramatist, and one of the foremost playwrights of the Theatre of the Absurd...
, and Betsuyaku.
Viiding worked at the Estonian Drama Theatre until his death on February 21, 1995.
Literary career
Juhan Viiding who until 1975 published his poetryPoetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Jüri Üdi (George Marrow) was the brightest talent to appear in Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n poetry in the 1970s. Unlike the major poets of the immediately preceding generation (Rummo, Kaplinski, Runnel), he never wrote essays or criticism.
The heteronymic poetics of the modern Portuguese classic Fernando Pessoa
Fernando Pessoa
Fernando Pessoa, born Fernando António Nogueira de Seabra Pessoa , was a Portuguese poet, writer, literary critic and translator described as one of the most significant literary figures of the 20th century and one of the greatest poets in the Portuguese language.-Early years in Durban:On 13 July...
(whose selected poetry was translated into Estonian
Estonian language
Estonian is the official language of Estonia, spoken by about 1.1 million people in Estonia and tens of thousands in various émigré communities...
in 1973), may have served as an impulse for Juhan Viiding to create the poet Jüri Üdi. However, the difference between the works published under the author's name and his pseudonym is that the "marrow" of Juhan Viiding’s poetry remained in his George Marrow pseudonym; what followed, under his authentic name, lacked the former brilliance. Jüri Üdi’s playfulness and rich undertones gave way to a more direct and pathetic expression. One can only guess if Viiding’s intention was to develop another poetic voice, in addition to that of Jüri Üdi, or he simply realized that the Soviet era of ideological symbols—finely described in his "Jüri’s Yarn"—was coming to an end and the actor Jüri Üdi could change his masks for Juhan Viiding’s true literary face.
Juhan Viiding's daughter, Elo Viiding
Elo Viiding
Elo Viiding is an Estonian poet.-Family:Viiding is the third poet in her family. Her father, Juhan Viiding was a famous and influential poet in the 1970s. He was also an actor. Her grandfather, Paul Viiding, was a member of Arbujad in the 1930s...
, is also a poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
.
Selected works
Närvitrükk (Nerve Print, 1971)Aastalaat (Year's Fair, 1971)
Detsember (December, 1971)
Käekäik (1973)
Selges eesti keeles (In Plain Estonian, 1974) Note: As a footnote of the title Viiding requested that the name of the language in the title has to be renamed to the one that was used for translating. Therefore the translation of the title should be "In Plain English"
Armastuskirjad (Love Letters, 1975)
Mina olin Jüri Üdi (I Was George Marrow, 1978)
Elulootus (Hope of Life/Being without a Biography, 1980) Note: Due to the clever word-play in the title as it is in the original Estonian, both of the "translations" presented here are correct. In an interview, Viiding himself admitted that the double-meaning in the title was intentional.
Tänan ja Palun (Cheers and Please, 1983)
Osa (Part, 1991)