Juku-Kalle Raid
Juku-Kalle Raid (b. 28. VII 1974) is a journalist and poet.
Raid was born and educated in Tallinn, including the Estonian Institute of Humanities. He has worked on several publications, and was the editor in chief of the journal Kultuur ja Elu (1997-1999) and of the journal KesKus from 1998. He has made programmes for radio and television. He has been a member of the Riigikogu (parliament) and of Tallinn City Council. He became a member of the Writers’ Union in 2012.
The first poetry collection by Raid, who is known chiefly as an active and independent public figure, Maailmamäng [‘World Game’], appeared in 1991, and was followed by Hõikelein (‘Mourning Call’, 1999), Juku-Kalle Raid ja teisi luuletusi (‘Juku-Kalle Raid and Other Poems’, 2013). What is striking is his mastery of language, his word-play and playful language, and his sure control of form; in the latest collection a classical lyric poem emerges with the first-person narrator. Together with Jan Kaus, Kalju Kruusa and Fagira D. Morti he created the Õigem Valem grouping, which published the collections Õigem Valem (‘Righter Wronger’, 2000) and Enam Vähem (‘More Less’, 2003).
Working in parliament has provided the subject matter for the book Eelarve. Friigikogu rahvuseepos (‘The Budget. A Parlia-mental National Epic’, 2013), which describes what it takes to get the budget approved. Under the pseudonym Ahto Muld he published Loomade elu (‘The Life of Animals’, 2014), which has been described as a survey of nature, but at the same time it is an allegory about humanity.
Raid has translated mainly from Russian, and published and edited, for example, Vaapo Vaher’s collection of articles Surmakuul ja seemnepurse (‘Death Bullet and Ejaculation’, 2002), Yelena Skulskaya’s essay collection Vene rulett (‘Russian Roulette’, 2002), and Kivisildnik’s collection of articles Null tolerants (‘Zero Tolerance’, 2004).
A. K. (Translated by C. M.)
Books in Estonian
Poetry collections
Maailmamäng: luuletused 1989-1991. Tallinn: J.-K. Raid, 1991, 42 lk.
Hõikelein. Tallinn: Markleis, 1999, 43 lk.
Juku-Kalle Raid ja teisi luuletusi. Tallinn: Ema ja Isa, 2013, 87 lk.
Miscellaneous
Eelarve: friigikogu rahvuseepos. Tallinn: Ema ja Isa, 2013, 251 lk.
Juku-Kalle Raid, Toomas Kümmel, Vanad head toidud paluvad lauda. Tallinn: Pegasus, 2013, 205 lk.
Ahto Muld, Loomade elu. Tallinn: Ema ja Isa, 2014, 127 lk.
