Imre Siil
Imre Siil (born 24 March 1957) is a state official, diplomat and writer.
Siil completed Kose Secondary School in 1974. He has studied land improvement at the Estonian Agricultural Academy and Estonian language and literature at Tartu State University from which he graduated in 1982. In 1992, Siil defended a thesis on phonetics and speech synthesis at the University of Tartu and acquired a master’s degree. He has worked as a department head at a land improvement authority, teacher of classes specialising in literature, lecturer in phonetics at the University of Tartu, researcher and research group leader at the Institute of Cybernetics, academic secretary at a department of the Academy of Sciences, director of the Government Office and director of the Estonian Informatics Centre. He has been chairman of board of the Estonian Legal Translation Centre and of the Open Education Union. He has also worked as a diplomat in Finland and France, represented Estonia at the Council of Europe, acted as a special representative of the Estonian government at international negotiations, represented Estonia in several international cooperation organisations and participated as an expert in commissions of international organisations and at missions. He has worked as a diplomat at embassies in Helsinki and Bucharest and as the Estonian consul in Romania, Moldova and Bulgaria. Imre Siil has published over 70 research papers and popular-scientific articles.
During his university studies, Imre Siil edited Krapp, the literature column in the university newspaper, belonged to the team of the publication Sõna of the journal Loomingu Raamatukogu and from 1979–1981 was chairman of the Tartu Young Authors’ Association. Imre Siil has been a member of the Estonian Writers’ Union from 2014.
Siil has published short prose and reviews in the periodicals Looming, Vikerkaar, Sirp ja Vasar, Noorte Hääl, Eesti Ekspress and elsewhere. He has issued six collections of stories and two travel books.
Frequent characters in Siil’s stories are officials working in high positions and careerists without a distinct worldview. The reader finds that these people turn out to be happy or sad, and they even love. During their lives, they are encountered by ethical choices which offer more than one solution. Siil’s creative texts are well organised, their style is consistent and succinct.
Imre Siil’s stories have been translated into Russian and German.
L. P. (Translated by I. A.)
Books in Estonian
Stories
Mereröövlite loss. Tallinn: Pegasus, 2006, 240 lk.
Marino Marini kontsert. Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus, 2009, 213 lk.
Lühiromaan ja karused lood. Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus, 2014, 212 lk.
Ja teisedki tublid inimesed. Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus, 2016, 248 lk.
Medalimees: jutustused, näidend. Tallinn: I. Siil, 2020, 270 lk.
Lugusid endisaja lastest. Tallinn: EKSA, 2021, 215 lk.
Travelogues
Rändamisi. Minu väike reisiraamat. Tallinn: Go Group, 2016, 263 lk.
Rumeenia tõsimeelsed päevikud. Tallinn: I. Siil, 2019, 240 lk.
Memoirs
Lapsepõlv Nõukogude Eestis: 1960.–1970. aastad. Tallinn: Hea Lugu, 2022, 223 lk.