Jaak Sarapuu

Short stories

Jaak Sarapuu (born 18 VI 1939) is a prose writer, historian, educationist and publisher.

Sarapuu was born as the son of a farmer in Hargla parish, Valga County. He studied at Valga Secondary School No. 1 in 1954–1958 and history at the Faculty of History and Philology at Tartu State University in 1969–1975. He graduated from the university by distance learning. In 1961–1967 Sarapuu worked as a teacher in Harju and Tartu Counties, in 1969–1973 at Viljandi boarding school, in 1973–1983 at Viljandi distance learning secondary school, in 1967–1969 as an actor at the Ugala theatre, in 1983–1984 at Viljandi museum of local history, later again as a teacher in schools of Viljandi County, from 1993 as a publisher in Viljandi.

Sarapuu made his debut in the children’s magazine Täheke in 1963 and picked awards from the story competitions of the journals Noorus and Looming. Jaak Sarapuu has been a member of the Estonian Writers’ Union from 1989.

Sarapuu has written for both adults and children. His first prose collection was Austusavaldus (‘Homage’, 1974). The action of the stories of the author, who prefers short forms, usually takes place in village settings. Sarapuu’s short stories depict the village life of the late 20th century and its characteristic problems with photographic precision.

In 1980 Sarapuu published his first historical fantasy story for young people – Taevalindlased ja kirveslased (‘People of the Sky Bird and the Axe’). This was the beginning of Uru kummalised seiklused (‘Strange Adventures of Uru’) – a series of stories on early Estonian history which also includes Imeuhmer (‘Magic Mortar’, 1993), Lembitu salakuulaja (‘Lembitu’s Spy’, 1995) and Ohtlik rada (‘Dangerous Path’, 1998). These stories meant to develop school students’ knowledge of history deal with Estonian history from the Stone Age to the late Middle Ages. Sometimes the author has used folkloric motifs of phantasy and horror in his youth stories.

Jaak Sarapuu has written textbooks of Estonian history and published them. He has also published readers, workbooks, atlases, wall maps and wall charts. Some of them have also been published in Russian and Latvian.

Sarapuu’s stories have been translated into Russian, Latvian and Bulgarian.

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

 

Books in Estonian

Novels
Kuningas Lembitu elu: ajalooline romaan. Tallinn: Kupar, 1993. 175 lk.

Historical stories for children
Taevalindlased ja kirveslased. Eestimaa minevikust III aastatuhande lõpust e.m.a..  Tallinn: Valgus, 1980. 64 lk.
Salakivi: jutustus pronksiajast. Tallinn: Valgus, 1983. 56 lk.
Soovaimude laukast: jutustus varasest rauaajast. Tallinn: Valgus, 1987. 69 lk.
Uru kummalised seiklused muistses Eestis. Ajalooline jutustus. 1. raamat. Tallinn: Kupar, 1991. 188 lk.
Imeuhmer. Viljandi: J. Sarapuu, 1993. 75 lk.
Lembitu salakuulaja: jutustus 13. sajandist. Viljandi: J. Sarapuu, 1995. 84 lk.
Ohtlik rada: jutustus 14. sajandist. Viljandi: J. Sarapuu, 1998. 86 lk.

Short prose
Austusavaldus: lühijutud. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1974. 80 lk.
Kollendavate väljade vahelt: külajutte aastaist 1973–1977. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1978. 107 lk.
Peremärgid. Jutud 1979–1986. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1990. 113 lk.
Jaak Sarapuu, Mihkel Zilmer, Kuni su küla veel elab... : lood külast koos paari lauluga. Tartu: Postimees Grupp, 2016. 53 lk.
Jaak Sarapuu, Mihkel Zilmer, Ravvasita: jutukogu. Tallinn: Avita, 2021. 53 lk.

Textbooks
Eesti ajaloo algõpetus. Õpik põhikoolile 1. Viljandi: J. Sarapuu, 1994. 105 lk.
Eesti ajaloo algõpetus. Õpik põhikoolile 2. Viljandi: J. Sarapuu, 1994. 152 lk.
Eesti ajaloo lugemik põhikoolile. 1. osa. Viljandi: J. Sarapuu, 1997. 126 lk.
Eesti ajaloo lugemik põhikoolile. 2. osa. Viljandi: J. Sarapuu, 1998. 193 lk.
Irena Artma, Jaak Sarapuu, Vene kirjanduse õpik keskkoolile. Viljandi: J. Sarapuu, 2001. 140 lk.
Jutustusi ajaloost: ajaloo õpik V klassile. Viljandi: J. Sarapuu, 2002. 128 lk.
Jaak Sarapuu, Mihkel Zilmer, Inimeseõpetuse õpik 8. klassile. Viljandi: J. Sarapuu, 2011. 115 lk.
Ühiskonnaõpetuse õpik 6. klassile. Viljandi: Jaak Sarapuu Kirjastus, 2011. 78 lk.