Aino Toomaspoeg

Short stories

Aino Toomaspoeg (b. Saar, 4. XI 1916 – 28. III 2003) was a translator and prose writer.

Toomaspoeg was born in the village of Järve in Harku parish, Harju county. From 1924 to 1935 he attended E. Lender’s Gymnasium of the Humanities in Tallinn, and from 1936 to 1941 studied in the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Tartu. From 1944 to 1947 Toomaspoeg worked in the literature department of Estonian Radio, from 1950 to 1955 in the editorial office of the newspaper Noorte Hääl and from 1965 to 1967 in the Valgus publishing house.

Toomaspoeg translated several novels from German into Estonian, among them works by E.T.A. Hoffmann, L. Feuchtwanger and F. Dürrenmatt.

Toomaspoeg made her debut with stories in the journal Eesti Noorus in 1934. From 1960 to 1963 the journal Looming published five of Toomaspoeg’s short stories, including ‘Võtmehoidjad’ (‘The Key-holders’), which was awarded second prize in Looming’s short story competition in 1962.

In the Võtmehoidjad collection, which appeared in 1964, Toomaspoeg assembled the best of her short prose, adding some reminiscent stories. Aino Toomaspoeg’s stories are psychologically finely tuned and at times humorous.

L. P. (Translated by C. M.)

Books in Estonian

Stories
Võtmehoidjad. Tallinn: Eesti Riiklik Kirjastus, 1964. 248 lk.