Meinhard Laks

Poems

Meinhard Laks (14 July 1922 – 4 March 2008) was an educator and poet, the initiator of the idea of Mother Tongue Day, a day of national celebration in Estonia.

Laks was born in Ida-Virumaa County, went to school in Sonda and Rakvere, studied at Rakvere Teachers’ Seminary, Tallinn Teachers’ Institute and Tallinn Pedagogical Institute. He worked at Sonda school as a teacher, director of studies and headmaster. He was an honorary member of the Mother Tongue Society and a founding member of the Estonian Language Protection Association, the initiator and implementer of the Mother Language Day, which is celebrated since 1996 on March 14, on the birthday of the poet Kristian Jaak Peterson. Laks received the Order of the White Star, Medal Class, from the President of the Republic of Estonia (2001) and the Estonian Cultural Endowment’s Annual Award of the Folk Culture Endowment (2003) as the initiator of celebrating the Mother Tongue Day. He is buried in Viru-Nigula cemetery.

Meinhard Laks had broad interests, being an artist, an appreciator and promoter of local history, national language and culture. He published the poetry collections Kimp koduküla lihtsaid lilli (‘A Bunch of Simple Flowers from the Home Village’, 1993), Ootaja väraval (‘Waiting at the Gate’, 1997) and Aastaringid: 160 eepilist haikut (‘Annual Cycles: 160 Epic Haikus’, 2001).

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

Books in Estonian

Poetry
Kimp koduküla lihtsaid lilli: 525 aastat Uljaste küla esmamainimisest „Taani hindamisraamatus“ 1468–1993. Luuletused ja jutud Uljaste külast. Sonda: M. Laks, 1993, 13 lk. [Järgmised trükid: 1993, 1998]
Ootaja väraval. Sonda: M. Laks, 1997, 20 lk. [2. trükk: 2000.]
Aastaringid: 160 eepilist haikut. Liivoja, Uljaste, Sonda: M. Laks, 2001, 28 lk.