Villem Grünthal-Ridala

Villem Grünthal-Ridala
Nationality	Estonian
Literary movement	Young Estonia

Villem Grünthal-Ridala, born Grünthal-Wilhelm (May 30, 1885 in Kuivastu, Muhu, Estonia - January 16, 1942 in Helsinki, Finland) was an Estonian poet, translator, linguist and folklorist.

Life

Villem Grünthal-Ridala was born as a son of an inn keeper on the island of Muhu. He first attended the parish school in Hellamaa (Pühalepa) and then the private school of Eisenschmidt as well as the national high school of Kuressaare. From 1905 he studied Finnish Literature at the University of Helsinki. In 1911 he completed his doctorate.

From 1910 until 1919 Villem Grünthal-Ridala was professor at the University of Tartu in Estonia. From 1910 until 1914 he was editor of the magazine "Estonian Literature" (Eesti Kirjandus); from 1914 to 1916 and also worked as editor in "Üliõpilaste leht".

From 1923 until his death Grünthal-Ridala was professor of Estonian Language and Literature at the University of Helsinki. In 1941 he received a doctorate in Baltic-Finnic languages.

Lyrical poet

Villem Grünthal-Ridala had become renowned for his poems in the Estonian language. Primarily his epic "Toomas ja Mai" (1924), as well as collection of ballads "Sinine kari" (1930), served as a model for the Estonian poetry of the time. The poems are influenced by Impressionism, with the landscapes of his island homeland and life by the sea being the primary motif. He belonged to the Estonian literary movement Young Estonia (Noor-Eesti), founded in 1905.

Selected Poems

• "Villem Grünthali laulud" (1908)
• "Kauged rannad" (1914)
• "Ungru krahv ehk Näckmansgrund" (1915)
• "Merineitsit" (1918)
• "Saarnak" (1918)
• "Toomas ja Mai" (1924)
• "Tuules ja tormis" (1927)
• "Sinine kari" (1930)
• "Meretäht" (1935)
• "Laulud ja kauged rannad" (1938)
• "Väike luuleraamat" (1969)
• "Valitud värsid" (1986)
• "Püha Rist" (2005; ISBN 9949-13-275-4)