{"id":549,"date":"2024-04-03T23:39:59","date_gmt":"2024-04-03T20:39:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/ewod\/sepp\/"},"modified":"2024-04-04T00:09:43","modified_gmt":"2024-04-03T21:09:43","slug":"sepp","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/ewod\/s\/sepp\/","title":{"rendered":"Rein Sepp"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tPlays<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0\"Rein<\/a><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tAbout Rein Sepp<\/span><\/strong><\/a>\n<\/p>\n

Rein Sepp (23. IV 1921 \u2013 25. I 1995) was a translator of ancient Germanic epics, a science-fiction writer and poet.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Sepp was born in Tartu; he spent his childhood on Vingali farm in the village of Ipi\u0137i (Estonian name: \u00d6\u00f6biku) in Latvia (near the border of Estonia and the town of M\u00f5isak\u00fcla), studied at H. Treffner\u2019s gymnasium in Tartu from 1929 to 1940, and in the faculty of philosophy at the University of Tartu from 1940 to 1942, mainly Germanic philology and\u00a0 bibliography. In 1942-1943 he worked in the editorial office of the paper Eesti S\u00f5na<\/em> in Tallinn and later as its agent in Tartu. In 1943 he was mobilized into the German army, initially posted as a staff office clerk in Elva, later as a war correspondent in Narva and elsewhere. After the Red Army\u2019s invasion of Estonia in 1944 he went under cover as one of the guerrillas (the \u2018Forest Brothers\u2019) in the swamps of Marimetsa in L\u00e4\u00e4nemaa county; he was granted an amnesty in 1946, and worked at the Saida collective farm in Harjumaa county as a bookkeeper and team leader. From 1949 to 1956 he was imprisoned in Tallinn, Leningrad and Vorkuta on political grounds. From 1957 he was a professional writer in Estonia; from 1971 he lived at the Egl\u012btis farm at Ipi\u0137i in Latvia, where he died. He was buried in the apple orchard of the same farm.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Rein Sepp made his debut in the school magazine Miilang<\/em> (1938). The short story Viimne \u00fcksiklane<\/em> (\u2018The Last Hermit\u2019, 1960) and the radio play Gaia peab startima<\/em> (\u2018Gaia Must Get Started\u2019, 1962) both\u00a0 represent science fiction. Collections of his poems were compiled and published posthumously \u2013 J\u00e4lle t\u00e4ht ja j\u00e4lle v\u00e4rav\u2026<\/em> (\u2018Again the Star, Again the Gate\u2019, 2001) and T\u00e4hti laotuses l\u00f5hkeb naerusui<\/em> (\u2018The stars Are Exploding in Space with Laughter\u2019, 2005). <\/span><\/p>\n

Sepp has become well-known as a translator into Estonian of ancient Germanic epic poetry: The Elder Edda from Old Norse (1970), The Younger Edda (1991), Nibelungenlied<\/em> (1977), Wolfram von Eschenbach\u2019s Parzifal<\/em> (1989), Beowulf<\/em> (1990), and Anglosaksi kroonikad ja poeemid<\/em> (\u2018Anglo-Saxon Chronicles and Lays\u2019, 1992). Sepp\u2019s translations of ancient Germanic epics are characterized by his great empathy with his subject.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rein Sepp also translated F. Schiller\u2019s \u2018Poems\u2019 (1959) and \u2018Ballads\u2019 (1959), Goethe\u2019s poetry, S. Zweig\u2019s biographical novel Maria Stuart<\/em> (1970), Werner Bergengruen\u2019s collection of short stories Der Tod von Reval<\/em> (\u2018Death in Tallinn\u2019, 1966), and a number of works from Dutch: Theun de Vries\u2019 story De Friese postkoets<\/em> (\u2018The Frisian Mail-coach\u2019, 1959), Henri\u00ebtte van Eyk\u2019s Gabriel<\/em> (1960), Arthur van Schendel\u2019s Het fregatschip Johanna Maria<\/em> (\u2018The Frigate \u2018Johanna Maria\u2019\u2019, 1967), and Multatuli\u2019s novel Max Havelaar<\/em> (1973). From English Sepp translated Shakespeare\u2019s comedy Love\u2019s Labour\u2019s Lost (1963), as well as poetry by William Blake and others.<\/span><\/p>\n

A documentary film has been made about Sepp: Teejuht m\u00fctologiasse<\/em> (\u2018The Road to Mythology\u2019, dir. H. Karis, 1996). To perpetuate his memory the Society of Friends of Rein Sepp has been established at M\u00f5isak\u00fcla. On the anniversary of his birth, memorial conferences have been held in Tartu, such as that in 1996 for his 75th, and in 2011 for his 90th birth anniversary.<\/span><\/p>\n

A. O. (Translated by C. M.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Books in Estonian<\/strong><\/p>\n

Science Fiction<\/span><\/em><\/strong>
Viimne \u00fcksiklane<\/strong>. J\u00e4rels\u00f5na: Harry \u00d5iglane. Tallinn: Ajalehtede-Ajakirjade Kirjastus (Loomingu Raamatukogu), 1960, 48 lk.<\/span>
Gaia peab startima<\/strong>. \u2013 Pilk n\u00e4htamatusse: valimik kuuldem\u00e4nge. Koostanud Veronika Kruus. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1969, 342 lk.<\/span><\/p>\n

Poems<\/span><\/em><\/strong>
J\u00e4lle t\u00e4ht ja j\u00e4lle v\u00e4rav\u2026<\/strong>. Koostanud ja toimetanud Viljar Ansko. Risti: Anamnesia, 2001, 92 lk.<\/span>
T\u00e4hti laotuses l\u00f5hkeb naerusui<\/strong>. Koostanud Anti L\u00e4\u00e4ts ja Anneli Sepp. Tartu: Ilmamaa, 2005, 228 lk.<\/span><\/p>\n

Selected translations<\/span><\/em><\/strong>
Nibelungide laul<\/strong>. J\u00e4rels\u00f5na: \u00dclo Tedre; illustreerinud A. Hoidre, R. M\u00e4ger. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1977, 328 lk.<\/span>
Wolfram von Eschenbach, Parzival<\/strong>. Illustreerinud Alo Hoidre. <\/span>
Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1989, 158 lk.<\/span>
Noorem Edda: valik tekste<\/strong>. J\u00e4rels\u00f5na: Rein Sepp. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1990, 126 lk.<\/span>
Beowulf<\/strong>. Illustreerinud Eve Kask. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1990, 149 lk.<\/span>
Anglosaksi kroonikad ja poeemid<\/strong>. J\u00e4rels\u00f5na: Rein Sepp. Tallinn: Hortus Litterarum, 1992, 152 lk.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Plays\u00a0 About Rein Sepp Rein Sepp (23. IV 1921 \u2013 25. I 1995) was a translator of ancient Germanic epics, a science-fiction writer and poet. Sepp was born in Tartu; he spent his childhood on Vingali farm in the village …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":0,"parent":697,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-549","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/ewod\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/ewod\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/ewod\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/ewod\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/ewod\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=549"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/ewod\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/549\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4518,"href":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/ewod\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/549\/revisions\/4518"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/ewod\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/ewod\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}