Andra Teede
Andra Teede (born 23 September 1988) is a poet and dramaturge.
Teede was born and acquired secondary education in Tallinn. For some time, she studied Estonian language and literature at the University of Tartu, thereafter, she was a student at the Drama Department of the Academy of Music and Theatre from which she graduated as a dramaturge. She is a member of the Tartu Young Authors' Association, the Estonian Writers’ Union (since 2007) and the Estonian Union of Directors and Dramaturges (since 2020).
She made her debut in poetry in the collection Väike kuri kevad (‘Little Wicked Spring’, 2005) together with Janno Pikkat and Mart Valner. This was followed by her own poetry collection Takso Tallinna taevas (‘Taxi in the Sky of Tallinn’, 2006) where she skilfully and vividly entwines lyrical poetry with topicality, using the urban space of Tallinn and its people as a background. Different towns and people also occupy the central place in the collection Saage üle (‘Get Over It’, 2007), which poeticises everyday life. The poetry collections Atlas (‘Atlas’, 2009), Käigud (‘Walks’, 2011) and Ühe jalaga põhjas (‘One Foot Touches the Bottom’, 2013) are concentrated on the theme of travelling and being on the road, which may partly be a pun on the author’s name which can be translated as Andra of the Roads. She also reflects on waiting, time and being. An overview of her creation can be found in the collection of selected poems 100% Andra Teede (2014). She mainly writes free verse poetry where humour and temperament, colloquial and everyday language but also romantic undercurrents find their place.
She has written the libretto for the opera Korduma kippuvad küsimused (‘Frequently Asked Questions’, composers Maria Liik and Sander Mölder). The documentary play Estoplast, which is based on interviews with people who worked at a factory which produced light fixtures in the Soviet time and archive materials, received the third prize at the playwriting competition of the Estonian Theatre Agency in 2013. In 2017, she received the award of the Estonian Theatre Union for Estonian plays for her 45 339 km² raba (‘45 339 km² of Bogs’), which is based on questionnaires and interviews with emigre Estonians (written in cooperation with the director Laura Mets).
Teede has published articles and criticism in the press. From 2014, she has been the scriptwriter of Õnne 13 (‘13 Happiness Street’), the longest-running Estonian television serial.
In 2009, she was awarded the title of Tartu Bearer of Culture.
A. K. (Translated by I. A.)
Books in Estonian
Poetry
Takso Tallinna taevas. Luige: Verb, 2006, 56 lk.
Saage üle. Tallinn: Tänapäev, 2007, 92 lk.
Atlas. Pärnu: Jumalikud Ilmutused, 2009, 64 lk.
Käigud. Pärnu, Saarde: Jumalikud Ilmutused, 2011, 108 lk.
Ühe jalaga põhjas. Tallinn: Kite, 2013, 54 lk.
100% Andra Teede. Saarde, Pärnu: Jumalikud Ilmutused, 2014, 155 lk.
Kaks punkt null. Tallinn: Teede Tekst, 2018, 99 lk.
Pikad mehed, pikad elud. Pärnu: Jumalikud Ilmutused, 2018, 70 lk.
Emadepäev. Tallinn: Teede Tekst, 2022, 96 lk.
Plays
Esimene armastus: dokumentaalnäidend. Tallinn: Eesti Draamateater, 2020, 98 lk.
Varia
Morna lapsed. Teos põhineb Astrid Reinla loodud tegelastel. Tallinn: Teede Tekst, 2020, 136 lk.