Andres Langemets
Andres Langemets (b. 9. III 1948) is a poet, critic and editor.
He was born in Rapla, attended Raikküla school, and from 1963 secondary school number 42 in Tallinn, where he matriculated in 1966. He performed his military service and went to study at Tartu State University, where he graduated in philology in 1975. He worked for one year in the editorial office of the culture newspaper Sirp ja Vasar. From 1976 to 1987 he was an editor of literary criticism and theory on the journal Keel ja Kirjandus. In 1980 he was a signatory of the ‘Letter of 40’. From 1987 to 1997 Langemets worked as editor in chief of the journal Looming. Thereafter he went back to work for Sirp, and later for the journal Luup. In the 21st century he has worked in the editorial office of the historical journal Tuna. Langemets has been a member of the Writers’ Union since 1980.
Langemets’ poetry started being published in the sixties in the journals Noorus and Noorte Hääl. In 1981 Langemets produced the poetry collection Omadus (‘Property’), and in 1987 Üleminekud (‘Transitions’). For the latter Langemets received the Juhan Smuul prize for literature. The basic theme of Langemets’ poems is existential anxiety, the impermanence of existence and activity, constant change.
In the seventies and eighties Langemets was an accomplished literary critic. In 1992 a collection of his reviews and articles, Post librum, was published, and it won the annual award for literary criticism. The selection contains Andres Langemets’ work from 1972 to 1987. The work is characterised by a high degree of literary and writing culture. The author’s critical treatments display a broad outlook, clarity of analysis, and a calm argumentation of his viewpoints and conclusions. In 1994 Langemets won the Estonian National Culture Award for his commentaries. In 1998, Lüroeepika [‘Narrative Poems’], a collection of prose fragments, appeared. In the 21st century there have been two poetry collections from Langemets: Vooder. Luuletusi 2008 (‘Lining. Poems 2008’, 2008) and Tagasisadu. Valik luuletusi 1965-2011 (‘Fallback. Selected Poems 1965-2011’, 2012).
Langemets has edited several books and translated from Russian.
In 2006 Langemets was honoured with the Order of the Arms of Estonia, Class IV.
L. P. (Translated by C. M.)
Books in Estonian
Poetry
Omadus. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1981. 56 lk.
Üleminekud 1981–1985. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1987. 54 lk.
Vooder: luuletusi 2008. Luige [Harjumaa]: Verb, 2008. 55 lk.
Tagasisadu: valik luuletusi 1965–2011. Tallinn: Verb, 2012. 159 lk.
Prose
Lüroeepika. Tallinn: Eesti Keele Instituut, 1998. 93 lk.
Articles
Post librum: kirjandusmõtisklusi 1972–1987. Tallinn: Õllu, 1992. 319 lk.