Helga Kross
Helga Kross (Helga Susanna Kross, until 1954, Roos; 12. X/29. IX 1917-7. XI 1998) was a translator.
She was born in Tallinn. She studied in Tallinn and Germanic and English philology in the University of Tartu. She worked as a teacher of English and German and at the State History Museum. She was arrested in 1945 and sent to prison camp, after which she was deported to Siberia. She returned to Estonia in 1954. She worked at the Fr. R. Kreutzwald State Library of the Estonian SSR (nowadays, the National Library of Estonia), later as a professional translator. She joined the Estonian Writers’ Union in 1990. She was married to Jaan Kross (1920-2007) and is mother to linguist Kristiina Ross (born 1955). She was born in Tallinn and is buried in Tallinn Rahumäe cemetery.
Kross translated both older and newer literature from mainly English and German, for example Klaaspärlimäng (‘The Glass Bead Game’) by Hermann Hesse, Doktor Faustus (‘Doctor Faustus’) by Thomas Mann, Impressum by Hermann Kant, D’Urberville’ide Tess (‘Tess of the d’Urbervilles’) by Thomas Hardy, the novels by E. A. Poe, Kaasaegne komöödia (‘A Modern Comedy’) by John Galsworthy and Võrgu all (‘Under the Net’) by Irish Murdoch.
In magazines, Kross published stories, for example Kosjasõit (‘Trip to Propose’, Looming, 1960), which won second prize in a 1959 short story competition. Her story Suurteos (‘Masterwork’, Looming, 1962) won third place in a 1961 short story competition.
A. K. (Translated by A. A.)
