Julius Ürt

Julius Ürt (real name Indrek Tart, born 2 May 1946) is a poet, literary scholar and physicist. As a poet, translator and (literary) critic he mostly uses his pen name.

Indrek Tart was born in Tallinn, completed Tallinn Secondary School No. 4 and studied physics at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of Tartu State University from 1964–1969. In 1993, he defended a Master of Science degree in information sciences with his thesis Eestikeelne luuleraamat kultuuriindikaatorina Eestis ja Välis-Eestis aastail 1945–1992 (Bibliomeetriline aspekt) (‘Poetry Books in Estonian as a Cultural Indicator in Estonia and among Emigre Estonians in 1945–1992 (The Bibliometric Aspect)’). In 2002, he defended a doctoral degree at the University of Tartu with the thesis Eestikeelne luuleraamat 1638–2000: bibliomeetrilisi ja kirjandussotsioloogilisi vaatlusi (‘Poetry Books in the Estonian Language 1638–2000: Investigations in Bibliometrics and Sociology of Literature’).

After graduating from the University of Tartu as a physicist, he worked as a senior engineer for more than twenty years at two institutes of the Estonian Academy of Sciences, initially at the Institute of Cybernetics, later at the Institute of Chemical and Biological Physics. From 1992, he worked as a researcher at Tallinn University, later as a senior researcher at the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies at the Estonian Institute of Humanities of Tallinn University and as a senior researcher at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the same university. From 2016, he has been a freelancer. He has been a member of the Estonian Writers’ Union from 1991. His wife Aili Aarelaid-Tart (1947–2014) was a cultural researcher, historian, theatre researcher and sociologist.

Julius Ürt’s first poems appeared in the journal Looming in 1975. From 1978–1983, he was chairman of Tallinn Young Authors’ Association. Ürt’s first poetry collection Haljendav ruumala (‘Verdant Space’) appeared in 1981. The poems show the author’s erudition and social sensitivity. Julius Ürt’s poems have been published in the journal Looming also in the 21st century. His book reviews have been published in the journals Keel ja Kirjandus, Looming and Vikerkaar.

In 2005, Andres Ehin and Julius Ürt published in Estonian translation a collection of poems by the US poet James Ragan, Valitud luuletused (‘Selected Poems’).

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

Books in Estonian

Poetry
Haljendav ruumala. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1981. 63 lk.
Tõdemik: luulet. Tallinn: I. Tart, 2016. 48 lk.