Uno Laht

Who was Uno Laht?

Uno Laht, was an Estonian writer and poet who wrote about the characteristics of everyday Soviet life in poetry. Laht was a KGB officer who participated in arrests and deportations in 1940s.

Laht also used the palindromic pseudonym Onu Thal.

Laht's humorous satires were popular, notably in the collections Piimahambad in 1954 and its second version Piimahambad in 1956. The subject matter includes "shock troops", cultural restriction, time wasting bureaucracy and other phenomena of Soviet life. Laht has published several books, mostly satirical poetry and humor. In 1975, Laht was awarded the Tuglas Prize for his short story We Good Fellows All Over the Earth. He has declared his political views changed at the restoration of the Estonian independence. He left the USSR Union of Writers and rejected the status of a Soviet war veteran.

Laht died on September 24, 2008 after a lengthy illness.