Marko Kompus
Marko Kompus (born 1 April 1972) is a poet.
Kompus was born in Võru as the son of a collective farm chairman and a chief veterinary surgeon. He studied at Põlgaste and at Põlva Secondary School. From the beginning of his career, he has been a freelance poet. Kompus is a member of the literary grouping Erakkond and, from 2005, of the Estonian Writers’ Union.
His debut collection Koirohusein (‘Wormwood Wall’, 1998) stands out with idiosyncratic surrealist poetry, which has matured in the following collections, ever more refusing logical analysis. An essential place belongs to vivid creation of images, playfulness, music of the language and also rebellion against the language. The collection Poeedinahk (‘Poet’s Skin’, 2014), which received the Gustav Suits Poetry Prize, refers among other things to Estonians’ general cultural knowledge, the fragments of which are intertwined with Kompus’ poetic language.
Jaan-Jürgen Klaus has made a film about Kompus, Erakpoeet Marko Kompus (‘Hermit Poet Marko Kompus’, 2005).
A. K. (Translated by I. A.)
Books in Estonian
Poetry collections
Koirohusein. Tallinn: Huma, 1998, 135 lk
Max Rebu, Max Rebu naiste pesu ja luuletusi Ants Pasuna järelejäänud paberitest. Tartu: Erakkond, 2000, 45 lk
Make love not love. Põlvamaa: Erakkond, 2001, 67 lk
Vallaliste jõgede tõkkejooksja. Tartu: M. Kompus, 2006, 160 lk
Surnud kuldnokkade märjad esmaspäevad. Tartu: Ornitologos, 2008, 168 lk
Kapiuks jaan oksa: oksast möödavalatud teepiltidega Martiini. Tartu: Kapinupp, 2009, 119 lk
Tikrisuitsu ja leiba. Tartu: Unenoppija, 2012, 94 lk
Poeedinahk. Puka: Unenoppija, 2014, 75 lk
Laboratoorium. Puka: Unenoppija, 2016, 64 lk
Rotikuningaõppus. Elva: Unenoppija, 2017, 79 lk
Jalutu muna tango. Elva, Tartu: M. Kompus, 2019, 79 lk
Max Rebu, Hiina keisri rasedus. Elva, Tartu: Ants Pasun, 2021, 94 lk