Ene Mihkelson

Ene Mihkelson
Born
Imavere Parish, Viljandi County, then part of Estonian SSR, Soviet Union
DiedSeptember 20, 2017(2017-09-20) (aged 72)
Tartu, Estonia
Alma materUniversity of Tartu
OccupationsPoet, novelist, literary critic, researcher
Writing career
Period1967–2017
GenresPoetry, prose, essays
Notable worksAhasveeruse uni (2001)
Katkuhaud (2007)
Torn (2010)
Notable awardsHerder Prize (2006)
Baltic Assembly Prize for Literature (2010)

Ene Mihkelson (21 October 1944 – 20 September 2017) was an Estonian novelist and poet. Her work frequently examined national identity, historical memory, and twentieth-century Estonian history.[1] She was a recipient of the Herder Prize and the Baltic Assembly Prize for Literature.

Biography

Early life and education

Mihkelson was born in Imavere Parish, Viljandi County. Her mother, Evi Mihkelson, and her father, Heinrich-Rudolph "Heino" Mihkelson, were members of the Forest Brothers, people who opposed the Soviet occupation of Estonia and fled to the woods.[2][3][4][5]: cf  Her parents spent long periods in hiding during her childhood. Her father died in combat in 1953.[6]: cf [7]

She attended school in Rägavere from 1952 to 1953, in Karitsa from 1953 to 1959, and completed her secondary education at the Rakvere Boarding School in 1963. She studied literature at the University of Tartu), graduating in 1968.

Career

Following her graduation, she worked as a teacher. Mihkelson taught at the Võnnu Secondary School from 1968 to 1969. Between 1969 and 1979, she was employed as a researcher at the Estonian Literary Museum. She also worked as a freelance writer.

Mihkelson published her first book in 1967, although her debut poetry collection was published in 1978. She went on to publish thirteen volumes of poetry. She attributes some of her difficulties in her publishing career to her parents' political views, as they opposed the Soviet forces in Estonia. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, Mihkelson published ten poetry anthologies. Mihkelson also published four novels, a selection of critical essays (Kirjanduse seletusi, or Explanations of Literature) and a collection of short stories (Surma sünnipäev, or The Birthday of Death). In 2001 she published the novel Ahasveeruse uni. In 2006, she was awarded the Herder Prize and in 2010, the Baltic Assembly Prize for Literature.

Her prose publications include collections of short stories, a volume of critical essays, and four novels. Her 2001 novel Ahasveeruse uni (The Dream of Ahasuerus) deals with themes of historical memory and identity under totalitarian systems. Her later novel, Katkuhaud (The Plague Grave), was published in 2007.

Mihkelson's works frequently include allusions to her childhood, spent in hiding, Estonian mythology, and Estonian history. Her verse generally avoids conventional rhythm, meter, and rhyme, and instead uses inversions. It is known for its intensity, allegorical content and metaphysical topics.

Recognition and legacy

Mihkelson died in 2017.[8] In a 2006 survey of Estonian literary scholars, critics, and authors, Mihkelson's Ahasveeruse uni was voted the best Estonian novel published since the restoration of independence.[9]

The Ene Mihkelson Society was founded in Tartu on 12 May 2018 to preserve and study her legacy.[10] The society partners with the Tartu Cultural Endowment to manage a research fund that awards stipends and the Ene Mihkelson Cultural Thinker Award.[11][12]

Awards

  • 1994: Annual Prize of the Estonian Cultural Endowment for Literature (for Hüüdja hääl)
  • 1994: Juhan Liiv Poetry Award (for the poem Eesti elu...)
  • 1999: Juhan Liiv Poetry Award (for the poem Jah ikka veel...)
  • 2001: Grand Prix of the Estonian Cultural Endowment for Literature (for Ahasveeruse uni)
  • 2002: Fourth Class of the Order of the White Star[13]
  • 2003: "Ela ja sära" Fellowship
  • 2006: Herder Prize
  • 2007: Annual Prize of the Estonian Cultural Endowment for Literature (for Katkuhaud)
  • 2008: A. H. Tammsaare Memorial Literature Prize (for Katkuhaud)
  • 2010: Baltic Assembly Prize for Literature (for Torn)
  • 2010: Tartu Cultural Bearer Award
  • 2011: Gustav Suits Poetry Prize (for Torn)
  • 2013: Honorary Citizen of Tartu and recipient of the Tartu Grand Star[14]
  • 2015: Cultural Prize of the Republic of Estonia for Lifetime Achievement
  • 2016: Special Stipend of the Estonian National Culture Foundation

Works

Poetry collections

  • Selle talve laused (1978)
  • Ring ja nelinurk (1979)
  • Algolekud (1980)
  • Tuhased tiivad (1982)
  • Igiliikuja (1985)
  • Tulek on su saatus (1987)
  • Elujoonis (1989)
  • Võimalus õunast loobuda (1990)
  • Hüüdja hääl. Luuletusi 1988–1991 (1993)
  • Pidevus neelab üht nuga (1997)
  • Kaalud ei kõnele: valitud luuletusi 1967–97 (2000)
  • Uroboros (2004)
  • Torn (2010)

Prose and essays

  • Matsi põhi (1983) – includes the novellas Matsi põhi and Kuju keset väljakut
  • Korter (1985)
  • Kirjanduse seletusi. Artikleid ja retsensioone 1973–1983 (1986)
  • Nime vaev (1994)
  • Surma sünnipäev. Novelle ja laaste (1996)
  • Ahasveeruse uni (2001)
  • Katkuhaud (2007)

Citations

References

  • Estonian Environment Agency. "Gravesite: RAD:P22:217". tartu.maps.arcgis.com. Tartu Cemeteries. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  • City of Tartu (2026). "Tartu linnalt tunnustusavalduse saanud isikud: Ene Mihkelson". City of Tartu. Archived from the original on 21 September 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
  • Ene Mihkelsoni Selts (2026a). "Stipendium uurijatele". Ene Mihkelsoni Selts. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
  • Ene Mihkelsoni Selts (2026b). "Ene Mihkelson kultuurimõtestaja preemia". Ene Mihkelsoni Selts. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
  • Kronberg, Janika (Spring 2000). "Ene Mihkelson. Naming the things of the world". Estonian Literary Magazine. Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
  • Kaasik, Peeter (2023a). Ene Mihkelsoni vanemate lugu ja metsavendluse uurimise hetkeseisust (PDF). Ene Mihkelson Society Seminar (in Estonian). Eesti Rahvusarhiiv.
  • Kaasik, Peeter (2023b). "The Forest Sisters: Women in the Estonian Post-World War II Forest Brother Movement". Genocidas ir rezistencija. 2 (54): 210–225.
  • Kenk, Kaire (10 February 2022). "Vastupanuliikumise traagilised Romeod ja Juliad. „Metsavend pidi hoidma oma pruuti rohkem kui silmatera"". Eesti Naine. Retrieved 14 June 2026. Pildil metsavend Ülo Aeltermanni salga liikmed Hans Sapp ja Evi Mihkelson 1953. aasta suvel. Evi abikaasa Heino oli võitluses langenud veebruaris 1953. Sama aasta augustis läksid Hans ja Evi salgast ära ning hakkasid end varjama kahekesi... [Pictured are Hans Sapp and Evi Mihkelson, members of Forester Ülo Aeltermanni's group, in the summer of 1953. Evi's husband Heino had fallen in battle in February 1953. In August of the same year, Hans and Evi left the group and went into hiding together...]
  • Kesküla, Kalev (24 August 2006). "Eesti parim romaan on "Ahasveeruse uni"". Eesti Ekspress. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
  • Meediateek (1953). "ERAF.129SM.1.18355-6.28". Meediateek (in Estonian). National Archives of Estonia. Retrieved 2026-06-14. ...pildistatud meie bande osaline Mihkelson, Evi punkri juures Tamsi metsas. Pildistas Sapp, Hans, suvel 1953. a. [...a photo of our gang member Mihkelson, Evi, near the bunker in the Tamsi forest. Photographed by Sapp, Hans, in the summer of 1953.]
  • Office of the President of Estonia (2026). "Teenetemärkide kavalerid: Ene Mihkelson". Office of the President of Estonia. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
  • Postimees (14 May 2018). "Tartus asutati Ene Mihkelson Selts". Postimees. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
  • Vadi, Urmas (2014-10-09). "Ene Mihkelson: mul oli tunne, et teist korda ma Pronksiööd üle ei elaks". ERR (in Estonian). Looming. Retrieved 2026-06-14. [the summer war of 1941, when the extermination battalion burned villages in July, implementing Stalin's empty land tactics...my mother's native village, where I spent the summers with my grandmother, was burned down. My mother and her siblings, who were still very young at the time, watched everything from the edge of the bog.]
  • National Archives of Estonia (1940). "Personaalraamat XIV. A-K; EAA.3144.1.146; 1910-1940". Saaga (in Estonian). Eesti Ajalooarhiiv (Estonian Historical Archives). p. 241 (Image 241 of 378). Retrieved 14 June 2026.

Further reading

  • Merilai, Arne, ed. (2005). Päevad on laused. Ene Mihkelson. Tartu University Press. ISBN 9949111242.
  • Sarapik, Virve (2005). "Võõras mets. Ene Mihkelsoni proosast". Keel ja Kirjandus (9, pp. 728–734, 10, pp. 808–817).
  • Laanes, Eneken (2006). "Mäletamise lühis: Ene Mihkelsoni "Ahasveeruse uni"". Keel ja Kirjandus (6, pp. 433–448).

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