Tiit Aleksejev
Tiit Aleksejev (b. 6. VII 1968) is a prose writer and a playwright.
Born in Kohtla-Järve, he studied history at the University of Tartu, eventually concluding his studies in 1992 with a master’s degree in medieval history, specifically the Crusades. In addition to his literary career, he has served as a diplomat in both France and Brussels. He is also an alumnus of the student corporation Sakala. Aleksejev is a member of the Estonian Writers’ Union since 2006 and was its chairman from 2016 to 2024.
Aleksejev debuted with the short story Tartu Rahu (‘The Peace of Tartu’) in the Estonian literary journal Looming in 1999 and won the magazine’s annual award. From there he went on to publish his thriller novel Valge kuningriik (‘The White Kingdom’) in 2006, which won the Betti Alver Prize for best debut novel. The setting of Valge kuningriik spans time and place in both Paris and Afghanistan and contains facets mirroring Aleksejev’s own personal experiences, such as the protagonist’s job of working in an Estonian embassy.
He published his second novel Palveränd (‘The Pilgrimage’) in 2008, a piece of historical fiction set during the First Crusade in the 11th century. To write Palveränd, Aleksejev spent a decade researching information and visiting key battle sites in the Holy Land. In 2010, the novel was awarded the European Union Prize for Literature. Palveränd turned out to be the first part of a novel series: the second, third and fourth parts Kindel linn (‘The Stronghold’, 2011), Müürideta aed (‘The Garden Without Walls’, 2019) and Taevaminejad (‘The Ascendants’, 2024) also continue to depict the events of the First Crusade.
Aleksejev’s play Leegionärid (‘Legionaries’, 2010) is based on the historical Battle of Blue Hills in Estonia during the Second World War and the Estonian Legion. The novel focused on the fate of the fallen Estonians who fought on opposing sides of the stalled Red Army and the retreating Germans. Leegionärid won the Virumaa Literary Award in 2011 and was performed in the town of Rakvere in 2013. The play Imede aasta (‘A Year of Miracles’, 2015) is also set in the same fateful year of 1944 in Estonia. Imede aasta brought Aleksejev the annual prize of the Looming journal.
The play Kuningad (‘Kings’, 2014) centers the story around the murder of the four Estonian kings during the St. George’s Night Uprising of 1343. The play SentiMentaalne Valss (‘SentiMental Waltz’, 2018) returns to the present day and depicts a complicated relationship between two Estonians working on foreign missions.
Aleksejev won the Tuglas Short Story Award for his story Tõlkija (‘The Translator’, Looming, 2018). Tõlkija is a story about the tragic and heroic fate of Adrian Virginus (1663-1706), a translator of Bible into Estonian. Aleksejev has also been awarded the Order of the White Star, III class.
M.M.
Books in Estonian
Novels
Valge kuningriik. Tallinn: Varrak, 2006, 197 pp.
Palveränd: lugu Esimesest ristisõjast. Tallinn: Varrak, 2008, 308 pp. [2nd ed: 2012.]
Kindel linn: lugu Esimesest ristisõjast. Tallinn: Varrak, 2011, 205 pp.
Müürideta aed : lugu Esimesest ristisõjast. Tallinn: Varrak, 2019, 238 lk.
Taevaminejad : lugu Esimesest ristisõjast. Tallinn: Varrak, 2024, 292 lk.
Plays
Leegionärid. Tallinn: Kultuurileht, 2010, 53 pp.
Kuningad: näidend aastast 1343. Tallinn: Kultuurileht, 2014, 73 pp.
SentiMentaalne valss. Tallinn: Eesti Draamateater, 2018, 81 lk.
