Märt Raud

Märt Raud (pseudonym Tõnis Migagu, 6 November 1881 – 11 Januar 1980) was an educator, writer and columnist.

Märt Raud was born in Kavilda parish, Tartu County, in the family of a cottager. Raud attended Tarvoja village school in 1890–1893, Puhja parish school in 1893–1897 and Tartu Teachers’ Seminary in 1897–1901. In the years 1909–1910, he studied at the Faculty of Natural Sciences at Rostovtsev’s Private University in Tartu. Before that, he had worked as a schoolteacher at Vaivara parish school, at Ulvi-Samma village school, and in 1903–1906 he was the head of the school of Kalevipoeg Society in Haljala parish. Thereafter, Raud started working in journalism, being the editor of the newspaper Sõna in 1906–1907 and one of the editors of the newspaper Postimees in 1906–1914 and 1918.

At the outbreak of the First World War, Raud was drafted into the Russian army and spent the first three years of the war at a reserve regiment in St. Petersburg. Then, he became the organizer of the Estonian national army units; in 1917–1918, he was quartermaster of the Estonian Reserve Infantry Battalion. During the Estonian War of Independence, he acted as a war censor and was also present at the signing of the Tartu Peace Treaty.

In 1920–1922, he was the head of the education department of the Pärnu County Government, and an inspector of schools in Viljandi County in 1922–1934 and in Pärnu County in 1934–1936. In 1936–1937, he was counsellor to the Minister of Education, and then, until 1940, he was the chief inspector of schools. As Raud had published religious and patriotic essays and articles and had worked in the propaganda department of the Defence League, he was fired in June 1940 already. However, he was not arrested during the first year of the Soviet occupation, and in 1941–1942 he was an inspector of schools in Tartu County and in 1942–1944 in Läänemaa County. Thereafter, he moved to Germany.

In 1948, Raud settled from Germany to Sweden where he was the archive clerk of the Estonian Committee until 1956, after which he retired. While living in Sweden, he published volumes of memoirs and a biographical book about Jaan Tõnisson and Konstantin Päts, Kaks suurt (‘The Two Great Ones’). He also published entertaining novels under the pseudonym of Tõnis Migagu.

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

Books in Estonian

Biographies
Kaks suurt: Jaan Tõnisson, Konstantin Päts ja nende ajastu. Toronto: Orto, 1953. 349 lk.

Novels
Tõnis Migagu, Punane hunt. Toronto: Orto, 1951. 254 lk.
Tõnis Migagu, Ülekohus ei seisa kotis. Toronto: Orto, 1964. 321 lk.
Tõnis Migagu, Joosep ja Potivari naine. Toronto: Orto, 1969. 328 lk.
Tõnis Migagu, Keset kärestikku. Toronto: Orto, 1970. 228 lk.
Tõnis Migagu, Nigul Eitea uperpallid. Toronto: Orto, 1971. 237 lk.
Tõnis Migagu, Risti ja rästi. Toronto: Orto, 1971. 248 lk.

Memoirs
Eesti perekond aegade voolus. Stockholm: EMP, 1961. 229 lk.
Sulg ja raamat: mälestusi ajaloo pööriaegadest. Lund: Eesti Kirjanike Kooperatiiv, 1962. 303 lk.
Eesti kool aegade voolus. koolinõuniku mälestusi. 1. Stockholm: EMP, 1965. 243 lk.
Eesti kool aegade voolus. koolinõuniku mälestusi. 2. Stockholm: EMP, 1965. 203 lk.