August Alle | |
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 August Alle in 1919. | |
| Born | (1890-08-31)31 August 1890 |
| Died | 8 July 1952(1952-07-08) (aged 61) Tallinn, Estonia |
| Occupation(s) | Writer, poet |
| Years active | 1915–1952 |
August Alle (31 August [O.S. 19 August] 1890 – 8 July 1952) was anEstonian writer.[1][2]
August Alle was the son of a stonemason. He attended the parish school inViljandi, then the evening school inNarva. In 1915, he enrolled as an external student inOryol and began studyingpharmacy, but he soon abandoned those studies. From 1915 to 1918 he studied medicine at theUniversity of Saratov. From August 1922 Alle studied law at theUniversity of Tartu. He postponed his final law exams until 1937. He subsequently practiced as a freelance lawyer.
After studying medicine August Alle worked in Estonia as a journalist and lecturer, before he is completely devoted himself to writing. From 1919 he was one of the figures association with theSiuru movement. August Alle was also known as a columnist and literary critic. His literary breakthrough came with his 1921 poem collectionCarmina Barbata.
His writing was deliberately outrageous, ironic, sarcastic and satirical. He was a master of the epigram and sketches. His pen was sharp and feared in Estonia. He turned particularly against the emerging middle class of the inter-war period. In his works he drew on his experiences in the revolutionaryPetrograd and Tartu in Estonia after theEstonian War of Independence.
August Alle's poetry turned strongly against the fascist tendencies in Europe of that time.
After theSoviet occupation of Estonia in 1940, Alle became an advisor to the Ministry of Education and chairman of a Soviet Commission that drew up lists of books to be banned and removed from libraries. Among the books banned were works ofSigmund Freud,Rudolf Steiner,Artur Adson,Gustav Suits andMarie Under. In all, 1552 titles were banned.
August Alle belonged to the Board of theEstonian Writers' Union. In addition, he was editor at various literary journals. In 1942 he joined theCommunist Party of Estonia. During the German invasion, he was director of the press department of the Communist Party.
From 1946 until his death he was chief editor of the prestigious, though after 1944 Soviet controlled, literary magazineLooming (Estonian for "creation").
Alle's best known poem is the Eesti pastoraal (Estonian pastoral).[2]
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