Kalju Lepik

Who was Kalju Lepik?

Kalju Lepik was an Estonian poet who lived as an exile for most of his life.

Kalju Lepik published his first poems in 1939 in Tartu students' journals Iloli and Tuleviku Rajad. In 1940 he founded the art society Tuulisui, that continued its existence in Swedish exile from 1945 on. In 1943 and 1944 he fought as a volunteer in the Waffen-SS unit Estonian Legion. He became a refugee in 1944 and settled in Stockholm for many years.

Kalju Lepik consistently defended the rights of the Estonian refugees in Sweden. In 1946 he founded in Stockholm the exile publishing house Eesti Raamat. In 1966 he became the head of the Baltic Archive in Sweden. From 1982 on, Lepik was the chairman of the Estonian Writers' Union in exile. In 1990 and 1998, Kalju Lepik was awarded the Juhan Liiv poetry prize as well as the annual prize of Estonian literature in 1998.

Kalju Lepik's earlier poems are passionately patriotical. In addition, satire can be found. In Lepik's later poetry, pessimistic elements prevail. In his later years, he gradually discarded all kinds of political motives and exalted patriotic pathos.