Madis Kõiv
Encyclopedia
Madis Kõiv is an Estonian
writer
and physicist
.
after the second World War
, graduating in the early 1950s with a degree in nuclear physics
. Kõiv worked as a scientist
and lecturer until 1991.
n literary circles. His earliest published works were written with friends from these circles. He also wrote under a pseudonym
for several years.
His first published work was a play called Küüni täitmine (Filling the Hay Barn) written as a collaboration between Kõiv (using his pseudonym
, Jaanus Andreus Nooremb) and Hando Runnel in 1978. In 1999, the play was successfully produced for the first time.
Kõiv then wrote two pieces with Vaino Vahing
. The first was a play titled Faehlmann. Keskpäev. Õhtuselgus. (Faehlmann. Noon. Evening Clarity.) The two also wrote the dialogue novel Endspiel. Laskumine orgu. (Endspiel. Descent into the Valley.)
Just before the end of the decade
, Kõiv began to publish works he had previously written for his own amusement under his own name. Kõiv became the most essential Estonia
n playwright
of the 1950s and 1960s.
In the early 1990s, Kõiv began to gain fame. In 1991 and 1993, he won the Tuglas short story award for Film and The Life of an Eternal Physicus, respectively. He won the annual Estonia
n literary award in 1991 for The Meeting. He won the annual Estonian literary award again in 1995 for The Philosopher's Day and Return to Father. Kõiv won the award a third time in 1999 for Scenes From the Hundred Years' War.
Kõiv has released only 22 of the plays he has written and has said that these comprise half of the dramatic literature he has created.
s (the series Studia memoriae) consist largely of introspection, in sharp contrast to a typical biography
.
Estonians
Estonians are a Finnic people closely related to the Finns and inhabiting, primarily, the country of Estonia. They speak a Finnic language known as Estonian...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and physicist
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
.
Education
Kõiv attended school in TartuTartu
Tartu is the second largest city of Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned university. Situated 186 km southeast of Tallinn, the...
after the second World War
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...
, graduating in the early 1950s with a degree in nuclear physics
Nuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons technology, but the research has provided application in many fields, including those...
. Kõiv worked as a scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
and lecturer until 1991.
Career as a playwright
Kõiv always entertained a fascination with and love for literature. He wrote mostly for personal entertainment until the 1950s, when he became active in EstoniaEstonia
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 literary circles. His earliest published works were written with friends from these circles. He also wrote under a pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
for several years.
His first published work was a play called Küüni täitmine (Filling the Hay Barn) written as a collaboration between Kõiv (using his pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
, Jaanus Andreus Nooremb) and Hando Runnel in 1978. In 1999, the play was successfully produced for the first time.
Kõiv then wrote two pieces with Vaino Vahing
Vaino Vahing
Vaino Vahing , was an Estonian writer, prosaist, psychiatrist and playwright.Starting from 1973, he was a member of Estonian Writers Union.-Education and career:...
. The first was a play titled Faehlmann. Keskpäev. Õhtuselgus. (Faehlmann. Noon. Evening Clarity.) The two also wrote the dialogue novel Endspiel. Laskumine orgu. (Endspiel. Descent into the Valley.)
Just before the end of the decade
1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
, Kõiv began to publish works he had previously written for his own amusement under his own name. Kõiv became the most essential 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 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...
of the 1950s and 1960s.
In the early 1990s, Kõiv began to gain fame. In 1991 and 1993, he won the Tuglas short story award for Film and The Life of an Eternal Physicus, respectively. He won the annual 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 literary award in 1991 for The Meeting. He won the annual Estonian literary award again in 1995 for The Philosopher's Day and Return to Father. Kõiv won the award a third time in 1999 for Scenes From the Hundred Years' War.
Kõiv has released only 22 of the plays he has written and has said that these comprise half of the dramatic literature he has created.
Career as a novelist
Kõiv is also the author of several novels. Widow and Aporia of Attica, Tragedy of Elea are two of his best known.Memoirs
Kõiv's memoirMemoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
s (the series Studia memoriae) consist largely of introspection, in sharp contrast to a typical biography
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
.