Artur Adson
Artur Adson (3 February [O.S. 22 January] 1889 – 5 January 1977) was an Estonian poet, writer and theatre critic.
Artur Adson

unknown? · Public domain
- Born
- 1889. · Tartu.
- Died
- 1977. · Stockholm.
- Nationality
- Russian Empire, Estonia and Sweden.
- Occupation
- poet, journalist, writer, theatre critic, playwright, censor and civil servant.
- Education
- University of Tartu.
- Honours
- Order of the White Star and 4th Class.
- Languages
- Estonian and Swedish.
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Documentary connections
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q333892 · wikipedia · Artur Adson
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
The documentary record
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Institutions cited
Bibliothèque nationale de France · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Complete reading chain (JSON)In this article
Early years
Early years
Artur Adson (born Karl Arthur Adson) was born in Tartu and attended school in Tartu, Sänna and Võru. After graduating he first studied surveying in Pskov. In 1925–26, he studied literature at the University of Tartu. Artur Adson was a surveyor, journalist and theater critic in Estonia and Russia. He met his future wife Marie Under in 1913, and they married in 1927.
Documentary record
Artur Adson (3 February 1889 – 5 January 1977) is described as a writer and theatre critic in the authority records of the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek. The birth of Artur Adson is recorded on 3 February 1889, and the death on 5 January 1977 in Stockholm. Artur Adson was born in Tartu, Estonia, according to the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek and the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
Literary career
Literary career
From 1917 Artur Adson was a member of the Siuru literary movement, which exerted great influence on the Estonian literature. Later Adson was also active in the Tarapita movement. In addition, Adson was one of the most outstanding poets in the Võro language of southern Estonia. As an often conservative theatrical and literary critic, he exercised influence on the cultural scene of the Republic of Estonia. Adson was also a translator. Among others, he translated Dr. Zhivago into Estonian.
Exile
Exile
With the Soviet occupation of Estonia Artur Adson and his wife fled into exile to Sweden. There, he found employment as an archivist. Both continued their interest in the Estonian literature. Adson died in Stockholm, aged 87. Both Adson and Under are interred at the Skogskyrkogården cemetery in Stockholm.
Plays
Plays
Toomapäev (1928) Neli kuningat (1931) Lauluisa ja Kirjaneitsi (1930) Kolmas tee (penned under the pseudonym Peeter Bollmann; 1932) Iluduskuninganna (1933) Elav kapital (1934) Karu läheb mee lõksu (1936) Üks tuvi lendal merele (1937)
Memoirs
Memoirs
Käsikivi (1922) Neli veskit (1946) Väikelinna moosekant (1946) Ise idas – silmad läänes (1948) Siuru-raamat (1949) Reisiraamat (1950) Lahkumine (1951) Kadunud maailm (1954)
Theatre critiques and history
Theatre critiques and history
Das estnische Theater (1933) Vilet ja loorbereid (1938) Teatriraamat: ajalugu ja isiklikke kogemusi (1958)
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
Explore 1889–1990
The full dated record · 3 entries
1889
Artur Adson born at Tartu.
1977
Artur Adson died at Stockholm.
1990
Artur Adson (1990) is digitised and catalogued by Open Library.
Places
Named by the record
Places
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Tartu.
Birth place
Stockholm.
Death place
Children's books
Nakits: lugu väikesest lõbusast ja targast koerast (1944)

Marie Underi ja Artur Adsoni hauakivi 23. kvartalis
Madli Vitismann · Own work by the original uploader
Poetry collections
Poetry collections
Henge palangoq (1917) Vana laterna (1919) Roosikrants (1920) Kaduvik (1927) Katai, kibuvits nink kivi (1928) Pärlijõgi (1931) Lehekülg ajaraamatust (1937) Värsivakk (selected, compiled and foreword by Ivar Grünthal; 1959) Rahumäe kannel (1973) Luuletused (compiled by Oskar Kruus; 1990)
Documents and archives
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Artur Adson”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q333892: Artur Adson
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
scholarly index
- OpenAlex author record A5007644318 for Artur Adson.
General reference · OpenAlex
authority file
- VIAF cluster 39493047 for Artur Adson, aggregating national library name authorities.
General reference · OCLC
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Artur Adson, revision 1363358037 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Don Rubin, Peter Nagy, Philippe Rouyer, World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre: Europe, Taylor & Francis, 1995, , p248
- 2.Merilai, Arne. Artur Adson. ewod.ut.ee.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessscholarly index
Secondary witnessauthority file
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
People, houses and institutions
Knowledge graph
People, houses and institutions
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Citizenship
1- SwedenPlace
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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