Mati Puhm

Mati Puhm (born 8 June 1962) is a poet.

He was born in Paide and completed Paide Secondary School No. 3 in 1980. Thereafter, he studied at Tallinn Polytechnical Institute from which he graduated in 1985 in the speciality of machine construction engineering. From 1985–1990, he worked at Taebla Technological Association (Taebla Tehnikakoondis) in Läänemaa County and as a builder in Haapsalu. From 1991–1997, he was a journalist and secondary school teacher in Haapsalu; he also worked at a bookshop and at the culture department of the town government. From 1997, Puhm has worked as a collection manager at the Central Library of Läänemaa County.

In 2002–2010, Mati Puhm published four poetry collections. The Finnish translator and critic Merja Aho has called Puhm a poet whose creation is associated with earlier times rather when poetry meant beauty as the author’s themes are love, heartache and the human as a speck of dust caught between the wheels of the world. The predominant form of Puhm’s poetry is rhymed quatrains. The pervasive features of his creation are personally felt Christian motifs and associations with the more conservative trend in early 20th century Estonian poetic tradition. Puhm has edited children’s books. He has compiled the poetry collections of Läänemaa County school students – Lumenimeline (‘Called Snow’, 2010) and Kaela panin punase salli (‘I Put on a Red Scarf’, 2010).

Mati Puhm has participated in organising conferences dedicated to the early 20th century poet Ernst Enno and commemoration of Ernst Enno in Haapsalu.

His poems have been translated into Finnish or used as song lyrics.

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

Books in Estonian

Poetry
Südasünd. Haapsalu: Humanist, 2002. 104 lk.
Armuand. Haapsalu: Valcast, 2005. 165 lk.
Laulud. Haapsalu: Valcast, 2007. 129 lk.
Puhas laul. Haapsalu: Carp Stuudio, 2010. 48 lk.