The directory «Plots»

Luts Oskar
(1887—1953)

Oskar Luts was an Estonian writer and playwright. Oskar Luts was born in middle-class family in Central Estonia. Attended Änkküla village school in 1894, after which he went to Palamuse parish school in Jõgeva County and attended it during the years 1895-1899. 1899-1902 he studied in Tartu Reaalkool. In 1903 Luts started work as apothecary apprentice in Tartu and Narva. After passing apothecary apprentice exams, he started working in Tallinn (1903). During military service in St Petersburg (1909-1911) he also worked in apothecary field, which he continued in Tartu while studying pharmacy in university.

When World War I started, Oskar Luts was mobilised. He was working as a military pharmacist in Pskov, Warsaw, Dvinsk, Vilnos and in Vitebsk (1915-1918), where he got married. Oskar Luts was released from duty in military for health reasons in autumn 1918 and went back to Tartu with his family the same year. He started working in apothecary. In 1919-1920 he worked in university library and then tried to manage a store. In 1922 he started professional career as a writer. Starting from year 1936, Luts lived in his house on Riia Street.

In 1945 Oskar Luts was the first Estonian writer to receive the title of Estonian SSR national writer. The house in which Oskar Luts lived starting from year 1936 was made to The Home Museum of the Writer Oskar Luts in Tartu in 1964.

Pre-World War I was the happier period for Oskar Luts' creation as he then wrote several comedies and his first, highly-popular, novel called «Kevade» (Spring) (part I 1912, part II 1913), which portrayed daily school life of young people. «Kevade» proved to be the most successful and well-known work of Oskar Luts. The life of the same characters continued in novel called «Suvi» (Summer) (I 1918, II 1919), which also became quite popular.

However, stories that followed the same cycle («Tootsi pulm», «Argipäev») and novel «Sügis» (Fall) (part I - 1938)), he mainly wrote only to please the demand of the audience. Also, after the World War I his works were less humorous and more gloomy. «Sügis» have not been that popular and were seemingly only shadow to his previous success. The second part of «Sügis» stayed as a manuscript for decades and the whole story was not published before 1988.

There are also highly popular films made in Estonia that are based on «Kevade», «Suvi» and «Sügis» and are named the same. Films are all produced by Arvo Kruusement.

Oskar Luts also wrote for children and his most popular children's book is «Nukitsamees» (1920), which is also made into a film. The music for «Nukitsamees» is written by Olav Ehala and is as popular as the film itself.

Oskar Luts as a playwright is mostly known for «Kapsapea» (The Cabbage); animation «Kapsapea» is based on Oskar Luts' writings. The cartoon is about a large cabbage growing in a garden of an Estonian family; the cabbage eventually causes a sensation in the US, Russia and China.

Oskar Luts' works have been translated into many languages.

Estonia, 2012, Oskar Luts

Estonia, Tallinn. Oskar Luts

USSR, 1987.01.07, Tartu. Birth centenary of Oskar Luts

USSR, 1986, Oskar Luts