Heino Kiik

Novels

About Heino Kiik

Heino Kiik (14 May 1927 – 22 February 2013) was an Estonian writer and columnist.

Kiik was born in Avinurme parish in Jõgeva County, attended Vadi primary school from 1935–1941 and Mustvee gymnasium from 1942–1944. From 1945–1947 he studied at Räpina horticultural technical school from which he graduated as a horticultural agronomist. In 1947, Kiik entered the Faculty of Agriculture of Tartu State University. During the time of his studies, the Faculty of Agriculture was separated from the university and, thus, Kiik graduated as an agronomist in 1956 from the Estonian Academy of Agriculture. He continued his education at screenwriting courses at the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute in 1969–1971 and in 1974–1975 at the Institute of Cinematography, both in Moscow. Kiik died in Tallinn and is buried in the Forest Cemetery.

In his later years of life, Kiik called himself a man of the pre-war Republic of Estonia as in his childhood he had even met the first president of Estonia, Konstantin Päts. Kiik’s life was divided between his two specialities — agronomy and literature — which were of quite equal significance and often intertwined. In his younger years, he worked as an agronomist or gardener at several places in Estonia, e.g., Viljandi and Hiiumaa, simultaneously contributing to press publications — he joined the Estonian Association of Journalists in 1958. Later, Kiik focused on literature, but even in then, he was known, in addition to fiction, to many as the author of specialist literature, for example, the multi-volume botanical books Taimetark (‘Plant Wizard’) and Maailma viljad (‘Fruits of the World’). He has laid out a park, bred ornamental shrubs, collected conifers, taken many professional trips within the Soviet Union and later also elsewhere.

While in the Soviet period, Kiik worked as the head of the propaganda department in the Ministry of Agriculture, after the restoration of independence of the Republic of Estonia, he became active in politics, first joining the Estonian Blue Party (1994–2000), then the Estonian Democratic Party (2000–2002) and finally the Pro Patria and Res Publica Union, through which he became in 2003 a substitute member of the Tallinn City Council where he also was a specialist in the environmental committee.

Heino Kiik could be considered a professional writer from 1963 when Metsiku taltsutamine (‘Taming the Wild’) won a special prize in a youth literature competition. In the novel competitions, Mõedaku eelpäev (‘The Day Before at Mõedaku’) won the 1st prize in 1965 and Tondiöömaja (‘Ghosts’ Night Shelter’) in 1967. All the mentioned books have an agricultural or agronomical background in one way or another. The last of them has been called his most critical novel that could be published during the Soviet era; that was done by public demand as late as in 1970.

Kiik joined the Estonian Writer’s Union in 1969. In 1976–1981, Kiik was a board member and secretary of the Writers’ Union as well as chairman of the board of the Estonian SSR Literature Foundation and a board member of the USSR Literature Foundation. He was also a board member of the Writers’ Union in 1986–1989. From 1994–1997, Kiik was at the head of the Estonian Novel Foundation. In the late 1980s when Estonia was shedding the Soviet yoke, Kiik was chairman of the new publishing cooperatives Kupar and Õllu and president of the Estonian Academy of Fine Arts, which he had founded.

From the late 1980s until his death, Kiik published a few books each year with the memories of some years of his life under the mentioned publishing houses, especially Õllu, later also Ilmamaa, and finally under his own publishing label. He described social conditions and changes in them as well as the process of his creative work and the development of literary policy in both the Soviet Union and the later period of upheaval and the coming freedom. For example, between 1976 and 1990, Kiik wrote diaries (in his own words, a documentary novel), which were published in print in 1990–2014. As he said, he wrote them for the younger generations so that they could get relevant information about that time.

In 1980, Heino Kiik signed The letter of 40, a protest letter of 40 intellectuals against the Kremlin’s Russification policies.

Kiik’s fiction focused on dissecting the perverseness of the Soviet way of life and finding a way out of it. His books, often realistic and grotesque, were often out of favour at the time of their publication; later, when Estonia was liberated, Kiik received the opportunity to write more freely and on more painful topics. For example, the novel Maria Siberimaal (‘Maria in Siberia’), which tells about the fate of the deportees in 1949, saw publication in 1988. Only a few years earlier, it had been rejected, and the author was accused of anti-Soviet agitation.

In 1979, the novel Mind armastab jaapanlanna (‘A Japanese Woman Loves Me’) deserved honourable mention at the novel competition; the novel Elupadrik (‘The Thicket of Life’) received the second prize there in 1985. In 1990, Kiik received the annual prize of the Writers’ Union for the serial novel Arve Jomm, which was published in seven parts between 1971 and 1990.

His books have been translated into Russian, Finnish, Lithuanian and French. Kiik himself has translated books from Russian.

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

Books in Estonian

Novels
Mõedaku eelpäev. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1966, 201 lk; [2. trükk koos romaaniga „Mind armastab jaapanlanna“, Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 2006, 462 lk].
Tondiöömaja. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1970, 599 lk; [2. trükk Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 2005, 528 lk].
Arve Jomm. (Meheaastad, 1. osa). Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1971, 159 lk; [1. ja 2. osa koos, Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1977, 287 lk; 1.–4. osa koos, Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 2005, 512 lk].
Arve Jomm. Pensionieelik (2. osa). Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1975, 143 lk; [1.–4. osa koos, Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 2005, 512 lk].
Arve Jomm. Alguse asi. Brigadir (3.–4. osa). Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1982, 221 lk; [1.–4. osa koos, Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 2005, 512 lk].
Elupadrik. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1986, 208 lk; [2. trükk koos romaaniga „Maria Siberimaal“, Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 2007, 384 lk].
Mind armastab jaapanlanna (I osa). Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1987, 176 lk;[2. trükk,Tallinn: Õllu, 1992, 334 lk; 3. trükk koos romaaniga „Mõedaku eelpäev“, Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 2006, 462 lk].
Maria Siberimaal. Tallinn: Kupar, 1988, 252 lk; [2. trükk koos romaaniga „Elupadrik“, Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 2007, 384 lk; 3. trükk Tallinn: Eesti Päevaleht, 2009, 256 lk].
Arve Jomm. Elame üle. Eneseteostus. (5.–6. osa) Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1989, 304 lk; [5.–7. osa koos, Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 2005, 504 lk].
Arve Jomm. Lõhkine küna. (7. osa). Tallinn: Õllu, 1990, 173 lk; [5.–7. osa koos, Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 2005, 504 lk].
Mind armastab jaapanlanna (II osa). Tallinn: Õllu, 1990, 208 lk.

Documentary novels / Memories
Kuidas end tunned, kuuekümnene? Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1990, 336 lk.
Mureaja laps. Tallinn: Õllu, 1990, 95 lk.
Aasta 1988. Tallinn: Õllu, 1990, 96 lk.
Aasta 1979. Tallinn: Õllu, 1992, 80 lk.
Aasta 1985. Tallinn: Õllu, 1992, 77 lk.
„Kupra“ lõhenemine (aasta 1989). Tallinn: Õllu, 1992, 93 lk.
„Jaapanlanna“ kirjutamine. Tallinn: Õllu, 1993, 112 lk.
„Maria“ saamine. Tallinn: Õllu, 1993, 120 lk.
Kirjanike elamu (aasta 1977). Tallinn: Õllu, 1993, 124 lk.
Eluromaan (aasta 1980). Tallinn: Õllu, 1994, 117 lk.
Organid (aasta 1981). Tallinn: Õllu, 1994, 104 lk.
Stipendium (aasta 1982). Tallinn: Õllu, 1994, 104 lk.
Romaani sulatamine (aasta 1983). Tallinn: Õllu, 1994, 128 lk.
Padrik (aasta 1984). Tallinn: Õllu, 1994, 143 lk.
Murrang (aasta 1986). Tallinn: Õllu, 1995, 174 lk.
Fataalne optimist (aasta 1987). Tallinn: Õllu, 1995, 256 lk.
Rekord (aasta 1990). Tallinn: Õllu, 1996, 255 lk.
Nimede register. Tallinn: Õllu, 1996, 65 lk.
„Kupra“ algus. (1987. a). ?,2003, 58 lk.
Kuresaapad. (1. osa) Tartu: Ilmamaa, 2002, 208 lk.
Kõndes. (2. osa, 1936–1942) Tartu: Ilmamaa, 2003, 328 lk.
Mitteminister. (3. osa, 1943–1948). Tartu: Ilmamaa, 2004, 332 lk.
Ole usin. (4. osa, 1948–1954). Tartu: Ilmamaa, 2005, 320 lk.
Leida ennast. (5. osa, 1954–1963). Tartu: Ilmamaa, 2006, 256 lk.
No siis… (6. osa, 1963–1966). Tartu: Ilmamaa, 2007, 320 lk.
Tondionu. (7. osa, 1966–1969). Tartu: Ilmamaa, 2008, 304 lk.
Tudeng Moskvas. (8. osa, 1969–1970). Tartu: Ilmamaa, 2009, 288 lk.
Helmiga. (9. osa, 1970–1971). Tartu: Ilmamaa, 2010, 288 lk.
Parteilisuse ajastul. (10. osa, 1971–1973). Tartu: Ilmamaa, 2011, 246 lk.
Eluteeristil (11. osa, 1973–1974). Tartu: Ilmamaa, 2012, 252 lk.
Põgenikuna Moskvas. (12. osa, 1974–1975). Tartu: Ilmamaa, 2013, 280 lk.
Ei sure kirjanik. (13. osa, 1976–1979). Tartu: Ilmamaa, 2014, 247 lk.
Maria. (Tondiöömaja II). Tallinn: Faatum, 2005, 503 lk.
Tondi tulemine. (Tondiöömaja III). Tallinn: Heino Kiik, 2006, 486 lk.
Julgeolekust (KGB). Tallinn: Heino Kiik, 2006, 447 lk.
Vabanemise rõõmud (Tondiöömaja V). Tallinn: Heino Kiik, 2007, 360 lk.
Kunstirahva akadeemia I. Tallinn: Heino Kiik, 2009, 255 lk.
Kunstirahva akadeemia II. Tallinn: Heino Kiik, 2010, 380 lk.

Children’s literature
Metsiku taltsutamine. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1965, 168 lk.

Drama
Rõõm päikesest. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1986, 159 lk.

Botany/Horticulture
Dr. Julius Aamisepa teaduslikust pärandist. Tallinn: Eesti Riiklik Kirjastus, 1959, 240 lk.
Dr. Mihkel Pill. Tallinn: Valgus, 1968, 235 lk.
Aleksander Eisenschmidt. Tallinn: Valgus, 1969, 111 lk.
Maaviljeluse käsiraamat. (Koos Richard Toomre, Osvald Halliku, Valve Jaaguse, R. Pandi, Tiina Nõgese, Helmut Raigi, Hugo Richard Sutteri, Jüri Heinsoo, E. Vindi, Jaan Lepajõe ja J. Sarvega), Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1965, 644 lk.
Taimetark. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1968, 119 lk.
Taimetark II. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1976, 341 lk.
Taimetark III. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1986, 310 lk.
Maailma viljad I. Tallinn: Valgus, 1982, 87 lk.
Maailma viljad II. Tallinn: Valgus, 1984, 111 lk.
Maailma viljad III–IV. Tallinn: Valgus, 1986, 303 lk; [I–IV osa koos, Tallinn: Valgus, 1989, 560 lk].

Miscellaneous
Legend Helmi Puur. Tallinn: Heino Kiik, 2012, 198 lk.