Ringo Ringvee
Ringo Ringvee (born 29 January 1968) is a historian of religion, public official and writer.
Ringvee studied at the Institute of Theology of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church in 1986–1991, at the Estonian Institute of Humanities in 1989–1990 and at the University of Helsinki in 1990–1998. He defended a doctoral degree in theology at the University of Tartu in 2011. His main research areas are secularisation of society and religion in Estonia in the modern period to the present day. From 1999, he has been adviser at the Department of Religious Affairs at the Ministry of the Interior. He has also been lecturer in history of religion at the University of Tartu, Tallinn University, the Estonian Academy of Arts, the Baltic Methodist Seminary, and elsewhere.
Ringvee made his debut in 1989 with the poetry collection Linnud mustmühisevast majast (‘Birds from a Black House Rustling with Wind’) which appeared in the poetry cassette Kassett ’88 (‘Cassette ‘88) together with the poetry collections of Tõnu Trubetsky, Karl Martin Sinijärv and Märt Väljataga.
Ringvee’s first poetry collection contains lyrical poetry with an expressionist colouring. His second poetry collection Aken ümber mere (‘Window around the Sea’) appeared in 150 copies in Helsinki in 1991. Ringvee has also published his poems in the journal Vikerkaar.
Ringo Ringvee’s prose book Lenni was published in 2014. It consists of 171 miniature chapters. The empty space around the shards of thought just enables them to exist. Freely flowing words do not fill the pages but create strange and exciting associations.
Ringvee is a reggae music enthusiast. He has produced many radio programmes on reggae, arranged parties and, from 1998, organised the series of events Bashment. By his religious affiliation, Ringvee is a Rastafarian.
L. P. (Translated by I. A.)
Books in Estonian
Prose
Lenni. Tallinn: Teater NO99, 2014. 166 lk.
Poetry
Linnud mustmühisevast majast. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1989, 53 lk
Aken ümber mere. Helsinki: 1991. 45 lk.