Kätlin Kaldmaa

Poems

Novels

Short stories

Kätlin Kaldmaa (born 30 August 1970) is an Estonian prose writer, poet, critic and translator.

Kaldmaa was born at Voore, Jõgeva County, in a family of zootechnicians as the second child of a four-child family. She studied Estonian philology at the University of Tartu and graduated from Tallinn University with a degree in English philology. From 1999–2006, she worked as the manager of the translation company SDI Media Estonia, from 2006–2010 as the head of the culture department of the newspaper Eesti Päevaleht and as the editor and publisher of its literary supplement Arkaadia, from 2009–2011 as the editor-in-chief of the book magazine Lugu, from 2010–2016 as the foreign relations manager of the Estonian Children’s Literature Centre. Since 2016, Kaldmaa has been a freelance writer and translator, since 2017 a shareholder in the Hunt publishing company. From 2010, when Estonian PEN Club was re-established, she has been a member of its board and president, from 2016-2022 she was the international secretary of PEN International. Her daughter is poet and translator Hanneleele Kaldmaa.

Kaldmaa has written poetry collections, prose works, children’s books and school textbooks. The keywords of her creation are magical realism, language and form games, social criticism and feminism. Her poetry is in free verse, often without a clear boundary between poetry and prose. Her writings have been influenced by her childhood during the Soviet era, which forms the background to the children’s books Neli last ja Murka (‘Four Children and the Dog Murka’, 2010), Halb tüdruk on jumala hea olla (‘It’s Damn Good to Be a Bad Girl’, 2016) and the book written in cooperation with Hanneleele Kaldmaa, Kaks armastuslugu (‘Two Love Stories’, 2017). Some books reflect her later trips to Iceland — Lugu Keegi Eikellegitütre Isast (‘A Story About the Father of Someone No-One’s Daughter’, 2012) and Islandil ei ole liblikaid (‘There Are No Butterflies in Iceland’, 2013).

In Kaldmaa’s books, more attention than average has been paid to the design and material side. They have attracted attention in several competitions for the most beautiful books. She has collaborated with artists and designers Angelika Schneider, Marge Nelk and Mai Grepp.

Kätlin Kaldmaa has translated dozens of books from English, Finnish and Spanish into Estonian, including, for example, the works of Gabriel García Márquez, Michael Ondaatje and Jeanette Winterson. Her own books have been translated into Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Latvian and Icelandic.

In 2012, she received the Friedebert Tuglas Short Story Award for the short story Kui poisid tulid (‘When the Boys Came’), in 2021 the children’s literature annual award of the Literature Endowment for Lydia (a book about Lydia Koidula). In 2017, Halb tüdruk on jumala hea olla (‘It’s Damn Good to Be a Bad Girl’) and 2022 Lydia were entered into The White Ravens catalogue of the International Youth Library. Her other books have also been nominated for awards.

M. K. (Translated by I. A.)

Books in Estonian

Prose
Islandil ei ole liblikaid. Tallinn: Ajakirjade Kirjastus, 2013, 326 lk.
Väike terav nuga. Tallinn: Tuum, 2014, 206 lk.
Hundi taltsutamine. Tallinn: Hunt, 2021, 160 lk.

Poems
Larii-laree. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1996, lk.
Kätlin Kätlin, Üks pole ühtegi. One is none. Tallinn: Kätlin Kaldmaa, 2008, 120 lk.
Nägemata ilmad. Tallinn: NyNorden, 2009, 58 lk.
Armastuse tähestik. Tallinn: Ny Norden, 2012, 80 lk; [2. trükk, Tallinn: Hunt, 2018, 80 lk].
Mu tiivad on mu juured. Tallinn: Hunt, 2023, 192 lk.

Children’s literature
Neli last ja Murka. Tallinn: Hermes, 2010, 80 lk.
Lugu Keegi Eikellegitütre isast. Tallinn: Ajakirjade Kirjastus, 2012, 104 lk.
Halb tüdruk on jumala hea olla. Tallinn: Varrak, 2016, 140 lk.
Ajalend. Palamuse: Palamuse O. Lutsu Kihelkonnakoolimuuseum, 2020, 84 lk.
Lydia. Tallinn: Hunt, 2021, 44 lk.

Miscellaneous
Õnn on otsuse küsimus, ehk, Need asjad, mida üks ema oma tütrele õpetada ei jõudnud. Tallinn: Ajakirjade Kirjastus, 2013, 128 lk.
Kätlin Kaldmaa, Anni Kalm, Ilmast ilma 1. 5. klassi kirjandusõpik. Tallinn: Koolibri, 2015, 192 lk.
Kätlin Kaldmaa, Anni Kalm, Ilmast ilma 2. 6. klassi kirjandusõpik. Tallinn: Koolibri, 2016, 223 lk.
Kätlin Kaldmaa, Hanneleele Kaldmaa, Kaks armastuslugu. Tartu: Petrone Print, 2017, 272 lk.
Minu külas Islandil ja minu külas Kreekas. Tallinn: Hunt, 2020, 48 lk,