Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald is remembered for writing that changed what came after it.
The record lists Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald as Estonian writer, author of the national epic Kalevipoeg (1803–1882).
Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald was born at Jõepere manor in 1803. His recorded nationality is Russia. He was educated at Imperial University of Dorpat.
The nineteenth century was the age of the serialised novel and mass literacy; writers reached audiences of a size never seen before.
He worked as translator, poet and children's writer.
The writing is recorded in German and Russian.
Reputation in letters is unusually volatile: writers are forgotten for a generation and then recovered by one.
That the work was written from Russia matters: language, censorship and the reach of a publishing industry decide which books travel and which stay local.
Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald died in 1882, aged 79. The books remain, which is the only durable form a writing life takes.
