Paul Kuusberg
Encyclopedia
Paul Kuusberg was an Estonia
n writer. Novellas by him include “Roostetanud kastekann” (1971) and “Võõras või õige mees” (1978), which won an award in Estonia.
Kuusberg was born in Tallinn, and during the period of Estonia's inependence worked as a construction worker
. He supported the 1940 communist takeover and joined the Communist Party. He participated in the German-Soviet war
, first in a Destruction battalion
, later in the Estonian Rifle Corps
. Kuusberg served as a politruk and journalist at the front.
After the war, he worked for the newspaper Rahva Hääl
and was later the editor-in-chief of Looming
. Kuusberg graduated from the Higher Party School in Moscow.
From 1976 to 1983 he was the secretary of the board of the Estonian Union of Writers. Although his first works of fiction (“The Walls” (1957)) closely follow the guidelines of socialist realism
, he soon adopted a more multifaceted, undogmatic approach. He treated careerism in Soviet society (“The Case of Andres Lapateus”), the fate of the Estonian soldiers mobilized to the Red Army (“Enn Kalmu kaks mina” (1960-61)). Both of the novels were also adapted for film. Paul Kuusberg was a communist, but as a literary functionary, he tried to protect Estonian literature and literati from ideological suppression.
Paul Kuusberg died in 2003.
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 writer. Novellas by him include “Roostetanud kastekann” (1971) and “Võõras või õige mees” (1978), which won an award in Estonia.
Kuusberg was born in Tallinn, and during the period of Estonia's inependence worked as a construction worker
Construction worker
A construction worker or builder is a professional, tradesman, or labourer who directly participates in the physical construction of infrastructure.-Construction trades:...
. He supported the 1940 communist takeover and joined the Communist Party. He participated in the German-Soviet war
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
, first in a Destruction battalion
Destruction battalions
Destruction battalions, colloquially destroyers or strybki was a paramilitary organisation in the western Soviet Union, which fulfilled tasks of internal security in the Eastern Front and after it.-Background:...
, later in the Estonian Rifle Corps
8th Estonian Rifle Corps
The 8th 'Estonian' Rifle Corps was a formation in the Soviet Army, created on 6 November 1942, during World War II. The 8th 'Estonian' Rifle Corps 1st...
. Kuusberg served as a politruk and journalist at the front.
After the war, he worked for the newspaper Rahva Hääl
Rahva hääl
Rahva Hääl was the official newspaper of the Communist Party of Estonia during Soviet occupation of Estonia. It was founded shortly after the first Soviet takeover in 1940 based on offices and resources of Uus Eesti , an earlier Estonian newspaper.-See also:*Eastern Bloc information dissemination...
and was later the editor-in-chief of Looming
Looming
Looming is a term found in the study of perception, as it relates directly to Psychology. Looming refers to the rapid expansion in the size of any given image...
. Kuusberg graduated from the Higher Party School in Moscow.
From 1976 to 1983 he was the secretary of the board of the Estonian Union of Writers. Although his first works of fiction (“The Walls” (1957)) closely follow the guidelines of socialist realism
Socialist realism
Socialist realism is a style of realistic art which was developed in the Soviet Union and became a dominant style in other communist countries. Socialist realism is a teleologically-oriented style having its purpose the furtherance of the goals of socialism and communism...
, he soon adopted a more multifaceted, undogmatic approach. He treated careerism in Soviet society (“The Case of Andres Lapateus”), the fate of the Estonian soldiers mobilized to the Red Army (“Enn Kalmu kaks mina” (1960-61)). Both of the novels were also adapted for film. Paul Kuusberg was a communist, but as a literary functionary, he tried to protect Estonian literature and literati from ideological suppression.
Paul Kuusberg died in 2003.