Katre Ligi

Katre Ligi (married name Runnel; born 18 August 1953) is a poet, translator and editor.

Ligi was born and attended school in Tartu. She studied Estonian philology at Tartu State University. She has worked at a library. Ligi is an editor at Ilmamaa publishing company, which was founded by her husband Hando Runnel, a classic of Estonian poetry.

Katre Ligi’s first attempts at literature date from her school years. From 1964, her creation appeared in Kutsuv Rada (‘Inviting Path’), the yearbook of Tartu Secondary School No. 2. Her debut collection Kõigest ei kõnni ära (‘Can’t Walk Away from Everything’, 1978) reflects her life events from youth to family life. Likewise, the following collections also reflect the feelings of a woman and mother in the framework of family life. With years, her poetry becomes more mature, but the author’s attitude remains recognisably idiosyncratic, reaching, for example, in the collection Õnnelik lõpp (‘Happy End’, 2012) precise and brief but deep statements which are often based on everyday events.

Katre Ligi has translated philosophical works by John Ruskin, George Santayana, Arnold Toynbee (A Study of History), Lewis Mumford, Max Horkheimer, Theodor W. Adorno (Dialektik der Aufklärung), Oswald Spengler (Der Untergang des Abendlandes) and Georg Hackenschmidt from English or German.

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

Books in Estonian

Poetry collections
Kõigest ei kõnni ära. Loomingu Raamatukogu 40. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1978, 47 lk
Aeg augustit ära saata. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1988, 126 lk
Maastike muutumist: kümme aastat varem. Tartu: Ilmamaa, 2004, 139 lk
Naabrivalve. Tartu: Ilmamaa, 2006, 158 lk
Õnnelik lõpp. Tartu: Ilmamaa, 2012, 143 lk