Kitzberg, August

Born Dec. 17 (29), 1855, in Laatre, in present-day Viljandi Raion; died Oct. 10, 1927, in Tartu. Estonian writer and dramatist.

The son of a farm laborer, Kitzberg worked as a rural district clerk and bank employee until 1920. His stories, written in the 1880’s, are embellished with a romantic outlook. In the 1890’s, Kitzberg emerged as a realist in his stories of rural life, such as “The Pranks of Peter of Püve” (1897) and “Brother Henn” (1901). Kitzberg was one of the pioneers of Estonian drama. His best plays include the tragedy The Werewolf (1912) and the drama The God of the Purse (1915). He is the author of the dramas The Hurricane (1906) and Red Rooster (1919) and of the comedy The Accursed Farmstead (1923). His principal theme was the power of money. Kitzberg condemned social injustice, defended the common people, and advocated the idea of moral improvement.