Some Aspects of Subversive Rhetoric in Juhan Viiding’s Poetry
Some Aspects of Subversive Rhetoric in Juhan Viiding’s Poetry

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the present article is to study some aspects of subversive rhetoric in the poetry of Juhan Viiding (1948–1995), one of Estonia’s most admired and cherished poets and actors whose “Complete Poetry” (edited by Hasso Krull) includes texts written between 1968 and 1994, published either in collections (until 1978, under the pseudonym of Jüri Üdi, which translates as George Marrow in English) or separately in newspapers and magazines. It is important to mention that Juhan Viiding often read and sang his texts (accompanied on the piano by Tõnis Rätsep, a friend and colleague from the Estonian Drama Theatre), quite a few of which are recorded on cassette and CD. Üdi/Viiding was and continues to be widely read, quoted, imitated and discussed by his Estonian readers, fellow poets, intellectuals and critics.1 However, despite the fact that Viiding’s poetry has been translated into sixteen languages, according to Aare Pilv’s “Juhan Viidingu ja Jüri Üdi bibliograafia” (Pilv 2010: 170–175), Viiding has not achieved the sort of fame abroad which he enjoys in Estonia.

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