Oscar Kallas ( est. Oskar Kallas ; October 13 (25), 1868 , Kaarma - January 26, 1946 , Stockholm ) - Estonian diplomat , folklorist and linguist . The husband of the Finnish-Estonian writer Aino Kallas .
| Oscar Callas | |
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| Scientific field | philology |
| Place of work | St. Petersburg University |
| Alma mater | University of Dorpat (1892) Alexander University (1893) |
| Academic degree | Doctor of Literature (1901) |
| Known as | Estonian folklore researcher, Estonian envoy to London |
Content
Biography
Oscar Kallas was born in the Kaarma parish on the island of Saaremaa in the family of parish teacher Michael Kallas. Already in his youth, he became interested in Estonian folklore and Finno-Ugric languages. He helped the folklorist Jacob Hurt in collecting Estonian folk poetry. In 1889, he made his first trip to Finland , which greatly influenced him. From 1887 to 1892, Kallas studied classical philology at the University of Dorpat (now Tartu) . Then he went to Finland, where from 1892 to 1893 he studied Finnish folklore and Finno-Ugric languages at the Imperial Alexander University .
During his studies at the University of Dorpat, Kallas actively participated in political life. Together with his friend and future Estonian politician Jaan Tynisson, he participated in the nationalist organization “ Society of Estonian Students ”.
After 1893, he taught at various schools in Narva , and then St. Petersburg . In particular, he was a teacher at the Karl May school . In the same period, together with Jaan Tynisson, he founded the newspaper Postimees , which opposed the Russification of Estonia. In 1901 he defended his doctoral dissertation at Alexander University. In 1901-1903 he was a privat-docent of St. Petersburg University at the Department of Comparative Philology of the Faculty of History and Philology.
Since 1903, Kallas worked as a journalist in the Postimees newspaper, as well as as a high school teacher in Tartu. Kallas became the first director of Estonia's first girls' school (now Miina Härma Gymnasium), founded in Tartu in 1906. In 1909, Kallas became one of the founders of the Estonian National Museum in Tartu and was the head of the volunteer work department for many years. Kallas is especially known for his studies of the language and culture of Estonian villages in the Ludza region of Latgale.
After Estonia gained independence in 1918, Kallas joined the diplomatic service. He was the representative of Estonia in Finland. Then he served from 1922 until his resignation in 1934, as the Estonian envoy in London.
He lived in Tallinn with his wife. After Estonia joined the USSR he emigrated to Sweden. He died in Stockholm on January 26, 1946 . His body was buried in Helsinki in February 1946.
Personal life
While studying at Alexander University, he met with Aino Kron, the sister of his supervisor. In 1900, they married in the Lutheran Church of Helsinki. They had five children: Virve, Lyne, Sulev, Hillar and Lembit (died in infancy).
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 BNF identifier : Open Data Platform 2011.
- ↑ 1 2 Estonian Sports Biographical Dictionary
Literature
- Kristin Kuutma: Oskar Kallas: En Envoy of Cultural Heritage , in: Studies in Estonian Folkloristics and Ethnology, S. 121-139, Tartu University Press, Tartu, Estland 2005 ISBN 9949-11-110-2
Links
- Oscar Mikhailovich Kallas // kmay.ru