Biography
I am - a writer. I have published a book called “The Courage of Living. Letters to Käbi (Laretei)” in 2019 in Estonian and I write poetry and short prose in Estonian, German and English; - a comparative literature scholar, who since 2017 has been working at the Estonian Cultural History Archives at the Estonian Literary Museum; - a mediator, curator, cultural translator, someone who likes to organise things and put good ideas into practice;Chairperson of the Ene Mihkelson Society, established in 2017 (Ene Mihkelson was an Estonian writer, for more information about the society see also "How to become a person? How to be a person?"; - the head of the board of trustees of the German Gymnasium High School in Kadriorg (since 2018);the daughter of two artists from two different countries, my mother Kersti Karu is an Estonian ceramicist and father Valeriy Sakov is a Russian painter and monumental artist; the mother of two sons. I have - studied Estonian and German literature at the Universities of Tartu, Berlin Humboldt, Konstanz and Vienna; - been a journalist at the University of Tartu newspaper "Universitas Tartuensis" and the Head of Baltica and Rare Books Department and Head of Development and Communication at the Tallinn University Academic Library; - worked as a teacher at the German High School in Kadriorg, Tallinn and therefore I belong to the fourth generation of teachers in my family; - organised and moderated numerous cultural events, including international ones; for example, the youth seminar "Zeig mir Deine Welt" (Show Me Your World) in Poland (Theodor Heuss Colleage Project 2004), the first Four-Nation Poetry Slam in Estonia (2004), a creative writing course at the University of Tartu (2006), a bilingual event series “German Culture Ambassadors” at Estonian House (2015–2016), several art exhibitions ("The World of Ceramics - Kersti Karu", "The Timelessness of Mastery" and "Together"), literary evenings and scientific symposia;been a literary critic since 2003, writing for Estonian newspapers (Postimees and Sirp), portals (kultuur.err.ee) and literary magazines (Looming, Keel & Kirjandus and Estonian Literary Magazine).
Samples
I am sitting on my bedside as if on the edge of a cloud at the threshold of the world holding on to my cup of coffee legs hanging over the edge my hair dripping my body wrapped in a towel yet I do not want to go into the world into the day into life I prefer to stay with my small pieces of sorrow in my otherwise empty bowl I look at them stroke the cat the touch is necessary for her as for me I know that as I am now maybe only she has seen me slowly we start to play I gently pull the pencil towards me she accepts my invitation to join the game telling me not to think so much but to feel the emptiness the warmth the humidity the softness the joy it all suddenly fills me the balls of joy are colourful and make beautiful sounds many of them can fit into an empty bowl I am ready to face the day and it’s greyness because the colours in me will show the way the fire in me will keep me warm * departures are always inevitable the temporary as well as the irreversible ones they are inevitably inevitable in order to return it is necessary to depart in order that something new could begin it is necessary to close some of the old doors to leave the familiar and secure to step into the unknown the departure marks the border between the already known and the yet unknown it always is also painful but there is always also hope the fact that we do not know what encounters us on the other side of the borderline does not mean we should fear it as humans we do not know and cannot know everything often believing is enough that is what the important things are born out of faith and confidence * each day risking anew to find and to lose you each day risking anew to fall into and get lost in you each day risking anew not to find the way out of my inner darkness each day risking anew since there is no insurance that covers the risks of loving loving is always a struggle with demons of fearresentment and rejectionliving must be an act of kindness and reaching out each day anew without insurance
All poems are copyright of the originating author. Permission must be obtained before using or performing others' poems.
Blog entries by Aija Sakova
and yet there is (20/04/2020)
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