Kreutzwald, Friedrich Reinhold

Born Dec. 14 (26), 1803, in Jõepere, present-day Rakvere Raion; died Aug. 13 (25), 1882, in Tartu. Estonian writer, educator, and student of folklore. Founder of the Estonian national literature. Son of a serf; his family was freed in 1815. Graduated from the department of medicine of Tartu University in 1833 and practiced medicine in the city of Võru for 44 years.

In the 1830’s Kreutzwald began to publish journalistic and folklore-ethnological articles in German. In 1840 he began to publish his works in his native language. As an author of satirical works, he spoke out against religious obscurantism and condemned the social and national oppression of the Estonians by the Baltic barons. The peak of his creative work is represented in his compilation (continuing the work of F. R. Faehlmann) of the collection of the Estonian epic poem Kalevipoeg (published 1857–61). His collection Old Estonian Folk Tales (1866) was also an important work. Kreutzwald’s activity in literary enlightenment prepared the way for an upsurge in Estonian literature and culture that began in the 1860’s. A Kreutzwald memorial museum has been founded in the city of Voru.