Kuido Merits

Kuido Merits (pseudonym Wido Moritz, born 25 July 1962) is a writer and former diplomat.

Merits was born in Võru. He graduated from the University of Tartu in 1994 in the speciality of history and occupied different posts in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1992–2013), being a diplomat at Estonian representations in Riga, New York and Kiev, was media adviser of the electoral alliance Free Tallinn Citizen (2013) and an observer of the OSCE Special Observation Mission in South Ukraine (2014). He has been communications manager at Valga municipal executive board and worked as a schoolteacher. A member of the Estonian Writers’ Union from 2018.

Under the pseudonym of Wido Moritz, Kuido Merits published a book on the backstage of Estonian foreign policy, Mullivabalt. Eesti meesametnike salaelust (‘No Bubbles. On the Secret Life of Estonian Male Officials’, 2015). Under the name of Kuido Merits, he wrote a book on the life and activities of international observers, Võimalik missioon. Märkmeid Ukrainast (‘Mission Possible. Notes from Ukraine’, 2016). Merits’ book Kas saab vaikust!? Minu aasta meesõpetajana (‘Could I Have Some Silence!? My Year as a Male Teacher’, 2018) speaks about his year-long experience of working as a teacher.

In 2022 Merits published the novel Tsaari ulaan (‘Czar’s Uhlan’), which describes the author’s grandfather’s Karl Merits’ (1885-1979) time as a member of the prestigious uhlan regiment of the Russian czarist army at the beginning of the 20th century. As a contrast, the author gives a picture of his own preposterous service in Soviet army in 1980s. Tsaari ulaan received the Arved Viirlaid Literary Award. Grandfather Karl Merits is also one of the main characters in Kuido Merits’ play Kadunud alguste aegu (‘The Times of Lost Beginnings’, 2025), which tells the story of the birth of the Rakvere professional theatre in the difficult 1940s, during the German and Soviet occupations. Karl Merits was the director of the theatre from 1942 to 1944. The author used his grandfather’s memories and letters when writing the play.

Kuido Merits has also published a book about his experience living and working in Valga, titled Minu Valga (‘My Valga’, 2024), in the popular My-series published by Petrone Print

L. P. (Translated by I. A.)

 

Books in Estonian

Prose
Wido Moritz, Mullivabalt. Eesti meesametnike salaelust. Tallinn: Ajakirjade Kirjastus, 2015, 142 lk.
Võimalik missioon. Märkmeid Ukrainast. Tallinn: Go Group, 2016, 114 lk.
Kas saab vaikust!?. Minu aasta meesõpetajana. Tallinn: Ema & Isa, 2018, 112 lk.
Tsaari ulaan. Tallinn: Argo, 2022, 237 lk.
Minu Valga : linn, mis ei mahu ühte riiki. Tartu: Petrone Print, 2024, 288 lk.

Plays
Kadunud alguste aegu. Näidend kahes vaatuses. Rakvere: MK Meedia, 2025, 93 lk.