Ilmar Trull
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Ilmar Trull | |
|---|---|
 Trull in 2012 | |
| Born | 21 February 1957[1] |
| Occupation | Poet, children's writer, illustrator, caricaturist, crossword constructor[1] |
| Language | Estonian[1] |
| Genre | Poetry, children's literature, humour[1] |
| Notable works | Tuvi jalutab (2012); Rähni ravi (2015)[1] |
| Notable awards | Order of the White Star, V class (2023); IBBY Honour List (2014); Estonian Cultural Endowment awards[2][3][4] |
Ilmar Trull (born 21 February 1957) is an Estonian poet and children's writer, also known as an illustrator and caricaturist.[1][5] He is particularly associated with humorous, rhythmic children's verse and with illustrating his own texts, alongside work in Estonian humour periodicals and crossword publishing.[1][6]
Trull has received major Estonian literary recognition, including multiple Karl Eduard Sööt children's poetry prizes, awards from the Estonian Cultural Endowment (Kultuurkapital), inclusion in the IBBY Honour List (for Tuvi jalutab), and a state decoration (the Order of the White Star, V class).[2][7][8][9][3][4]
Trull was born in Tallinn.[1] From 1964 to 1975 he attended Secondary School No. 7 in Tallinn (now, Tallinn English College), and from 1976 to 1978 studied English at the University of Tartu.[1]
Career
According to the Estonian Writers' Online Dictionary (University of Tartu), Trull began publishing in periodicals and anthologies in the late 1970s and issued his first poetry collection for adults in 1984.[1] He worked as a departmental and managing editor at the humour magazine Pikker from 1985 to 1995, and later edited the crossword magazine Ristik (1993–1996).[1] Since 1996 he has been a member of the Estonian Writers' Union and has worked as a freelance writer.[1]
Trull has been a long-time contributor to children's magazines such as Täheke and Hea Laps.[1][5] EWOD notes that since 1996 he has provided the children's page of the weekly newspaper Eesti Ekspress with poems for which he also draws the illustrations.[1] In a 2024 interview on ERR's culture portal, Trull discussed his long-running practice of writing poems for children and described his approach to keeping his work suitable for young readers.[10]
Works
Trull has published both adult poetry and children's poetry, though he is best known for humorous children's verse.[1] In a 2013 overview of Estonian children's literature in the literary journal Looming, critic Ilona Martson described Tuvi jalutab (2012) as containing Trull's poetry in his characteristic manner and noted its humorous, absurd tone.[11]
Selected bibliography
- Millest mõtled, seljaaju? (1984)[1]
- Kuumad käkid külmas öös (with Mart Juur, 1991)[1]
- Lõbusad luuletused (1998)[1][7]
- Iseloomuga loom (2005)[1][2]
- Musta kassi mumba (2006)[1]
- Järvevaht ja joogivesi (2007)[1][2][8]
- Väike viisakas kärbes (2011)[1]
- Tuvi jalutab (2012)[1][2][3]
- Rähni ravi (2015)[1][9]
- Metsa toodi kuuseke (2018)[1][2]
Reception and international presence
In 2015, Sirp reported the presentation of the bilingual children's poetry anthology Siilid ja pingviinid. Hedgehogs and Penguins, which included poems by Trull alongside other well-known Estonian authors.[12] The University of Washington's Department of Scandinavian Studies similarly described the anthology as presenting poems by nine well-known Estonian authors, including Trull.[13]
