Mait Vaik
Mait Vaik (b. 22. VIII 1969) is a writer and musician.
He was born in Tallinn. From 1989 to 1995 he played bass guitar in the band Vennaskond; since 2002 he has been in the band Sõpruse Puiestee. He also wrote the music for both bands. He has created lyrics for many Estonian bands, some of which have achieved nationwide popularity.
Vaik’s first book, Kõigil on alati õigus (‘Everyone is Always Right’, 2012) is a collection of poems and song lyrics. Vaik creates rhymed poetry, the subject matter of which is socially sensitive, serious and empathetic in its authorial stance.
Moving from song lyrics to prose brought Vaik almost immediate success. Both of his collections of stories, Tööpäeva lõpp (‘End of the Working Day’, 2014) and Meelparanduseta (‘Unrepentant’, 2016) were well received by the critics. The short story Puhtus (‘Purity’), from the collection Tööpäeva lõpp, won the Friedebert Tuglas short story prize in 2015. The collection Meeleparanduseta won the Literature Endowment annual award in 2016.
Mait Vaik’s first novel, Kurvake sügis (‘Sad Autumn’) appeared in 2018, and was nominated for the European Union literature prize in 2020. This book displays everything that is characteristic of Vaik’s prose: a rather robust, but suggestive style, and an ability to look closely at complex subjects such as drug addiction, alcoholism or some other form of degeneracy, belief or the lack of it, failure in a success-driven society.
Mait Vaik has belonged to the Estonian Writers’ Union since 2016.
L. P. (Translated by C. M.)
Books in Estonian
Novels
Kurvake sügis. Tallinn: Puiestee, 2018. 302 lk.
Short prose
Juss ja vennad. Tallinn: Puiestee, 2013. 110 lk. [Lühiromaan.]
Juss ja vennad. Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus, 2014. 213 lk. [Lühiromaan ja jutud.]
Tööpäeva lõpp. Jutustused. Tallinn: Puiestee, 2014. 143 lk.
Meeleparanduseta. Tallinn: Puiestee, 2016. 175 lk.
Poems
Kõigil on alati õigus. Tallinn: Puiestee, 2012. 159 lk.
