'''Estonian literature''' refers to literature written in the Estonian language (c. 1.100.000 speakers) <ref>[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9033090/Estonian-literature Estonian literature] at Encyclopædia Britannica</ref> The domination of Estonia after the Northern Crusades, from the 13th century to 1918 by Germany, Sweden, and Russia resulted few early written literary works in Estonian language. The oldest records of written Estonian date from the 13th century. ''Originates Livoniae'' in Chronicle of Henry of Livonia contains Estonian place names, words and fragments of sentences. The ''Liber Census Daniae'' (1241) contains Estonian place and family names.<ref name="DWE">[http://books.google.com/books?id=owQBH74N8CIC&dq The Development of Written Estonian By George Kurman] ISBN 0700703802</ref> The earliest extant samples of connected Estonian are the so-called Kullamaa prayers dating from 1524 and 1528. <ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=owQBH74N8CIC&pg Aspects of Altaic Civilization
 By Denis Sinor] ISBN 0700703802</ref> The first known printed book is a bilingual German-Estonian translation of the Lutheran catechism by S.Wanradt and J. Koell(1535). For the use of priests an Estonian grammar was printed in German in 1637. <ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=CnckpL8auSIC&pg Dictionary of Languages By Andrew Dalby; p. 182] ISBN 0231115695</ref>. southern Estonian  in 1686 (northern Estonian, 1715). Based on northern Estonian the two dialects were united by Anton Thor Helle. Writings in Estonian became more significant in the 19th century during the  Estophile Enlightenment Period (1750-1840).

The cultural stratum of Estonian, was originally characterised by a largely lyrical form of folk poetry based on syllabic quantity. Apart from a few albeit remarkable exceptions, this archaic form has not been much employed in later times. The most outstanding achievements in this field are the national epic Kalevipoeg (Son of Kalev), written by Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald (1803-1882); Gustav Suits's ballad ''Lapse sünd'' (Birth of a Child); Villem Grünthal-Ridala's (1885-1942) poem ''Toomas ja Mai'' (Toomas and Mai) and three poems by August Annist (1899-1972). At a professional level, traditional folk song reached its new heyday during the last quarter of the 20th century, primarily thanks to the work of composer Veljo Tormis.

In modern times '''Jaan Kross'''<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?as_q=&num=20&btnG=Google+Search&&as_auth=Jaan+Kross Jaan Kross] at google.books</ref> and '''Jaan Kaplinski'''<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?as_q=&num=20&btnG=Google+Search&&as_auth=Jaan+Kaplinski Jaan Kaplinski] at google.books</ref> remain to be Estonia's best known and most translated writers. 

==History of Estonian literature==
===Folklore===

As opposed to the recentness of written literature, the collections of Estonian folklore tell of the ancient pre Northern Crusades period of independence. The first fragmentary records of Estonian folk poetry  dating from the 13th century can be found in the Chronicle of Henry of Livonia; in the late 18th century Johann Gottfried von Herder published examples of Estonian folk songs in his anthology Volkslieder (1807). Jakob Hurt (1839–1907) was the first to start systematically collecting Estonian folklore in the second half of the 19th century. Hurt coined the phrase which to this day shapes the mentality of the nation of one million people: ''If we cannot be great in number, then we must be great in spirit.''<ref>[http://www.estlit.ee/index.php?id=944 Finno-Ugric folklore and the European written word] at Estonian Literature information Center</ref>

===Baltic Germans===
Chronicles and theatrical performances by the Baltic German nobility, formed the basis for local Baltic German literature which, despite the barriers of status and language, had an impact on Estonian literature. The earliest example of Estonian language poetry dates back to 1637, a poem written by Reiner Brockmann (1609–1647), teacher of Greek at the Tallinn Gymnasium.<ref>[http://www.estlit.ee/index.php?id=945 Baltic Germans at the birth of Estonian literature] at Estonian Literature information Center</ref>
Otto Wilhelm Masing (1763&ndash;1832) was the first literate who had a thorough mastery of the Estonian language. <ref name="DWE"/>

===Kristjan Jaak Peterson===

''Cannot the tongue of this land''<br />
''In the fire of incantation''<br />
''Rising up to the heavens''<br />
''Seek for eternity?''<br />
:::''Kristjan Jaak Peterson'' 

Those lines have been interpreted as a claim to reestablish the birthright of the Estonian language. '''Kristjan Jaak Peterson''' (1801-1822) is considered the founder of modern Estonian poetry. He gathered his Estonian poems into two small books but never saw them published this only occurred a hundred years after his death. Three German poems were published posthumously in 1823. One of Peterson's projects was fulfilled in his lifetime, the German version of Kristfrid Ganander's Mythologia Fennica, a dictionary of Finnish mythological words and names (the Swedish original was published in 1789) Peterson's translation of Ganander's dictionary found many readers in Estonia and abroad, becoming an important source of national ideology and inspiration for early Estonian literature. Its dominating influence extended through the first decades of the 20th century.<ref>[http://www.estlit.ee/index.php?id=1966 Kristian Jaak Peterson] at Estonian Literature information Center</ref>

===Kalevipoeg===
thumb|right|150px|[[Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald ]]
The most outstanding achievements in folklore imitate the epics: the national epic Kalevipoeg was compiled by doctors of Estonian origin: Friedrich Robert Faehlmann began the epic and it was finished by Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald. The romantic ideology of the 19th century laid down  the requirements for a national literature. The idea of an epic was the product of a humanist circle called the Learned Estonian Society (Gelehrte Estnische Gesellschaft), where Faehlmann had presented his paper in 1839 on a mythical hero called Kalewipoeg (Son of Kalew). After Faehlmann's death in 1850 the society handed the manuscripts over to Kreutzwald. The first edition of "Kalevipoeg" (1857-61) was bilingual, the German text being presented side by side with the Estonian original. A popular Estonian edition in a single volume followed in 1862. <ref>[http://www.estlit.ee/index.php?id=1966 Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald] at Estonian Literature information Center</ref>

Lydia Koidula (1843–1886) was the initiator of a tradition of Estonian patriotic and women's poetry during the era.

===Late 19th early 20th century===
thumb|150px|[[Marie Under]]
In the late 19th-century a poet emerged who has had a profound impact on Estonian poetry as a whole – Juhan Liiv (1864–1913). During the last decade of the 19th century, a contemporary of Liiv's, Eduard Vilde (1865–1933), introduced a realistic direction into Estonian prose.<ref>[http://www.estlit.ee/index.php?id=946 Literature in the 19th century] at Estonian Literature information Center</ref>

With the formation of the group Noor-Eesti (Young Estonia) in 1905, led by the poet Gustav Suits (1883–1956), the linguist and poet Villem Grünthal-Ridala and the reformer of the Estonian language Johannes Aavik (1880–1973), Estonian literature gained a new intellectual impetus. The most prominent prose writer of the time, still widely read today, was Oskar Luts (1887–1953).Another significant author was Jaan Oks (1884–1918).The poetry of Ernst Enno (1875–1934) gained popularity much later.

La '''letteratura estone''' è la letteratura redatta in lingua estone.

== Letteratura estone dei Tedeschi del Baltico ==

Il numero di parlanti estoni è relativamento basso (oggi circa un milione di persone): l'Estonia, a cui i paesi occupanti non davano alcun peso, ha infatti sviluppato relativamente tardi un sistema scolastico e quindi una propria letteratura. Parole estoni si trovano per la prima volta nel "Chronicon Livoniae" di Enrico, risalente al luterani, ma venne confiscato in un porto cattolico e bruciato. Il libro estone più antico conservato è del 1535 e venne scoperto nel 1929. Questi libri e quelli dei secoli seguenti sono stati scritti quasi senza eccezioni da tedeschi del Baltico, per la maggior parte religiosi, che conoscevano l'estone come lingua straniera o al massimo come seconda lingua. Il livello linguistico di questa letteratura lascia molto a desiderare. Nella maggior parte dei casi si tratta di testi religiosi.  
Ne sono esempio le preghiere (1600 - 1606) di Georg Müller e la prima poesia estone (alessandrini, un tipo di verso inadeguato per questa lingua. 

Lentamente si codificò una lingua scritta estone: Heinrich Stahl scrisse una grammatica, Bengt Gottfried Forselius un abbecedario, quindi l'ortografia. Anton Thor Helle (1683-1748) pubblicò nel 1739 la prima traduzione della Bibbia. Con questa si impose la lingua estone del nord nei confronti di quella del sud.

== L'epoca del "risveglio nazionale" ==

Il primo scrittore estone è considerato Kristjan Jaak Peterson (14. marzo 1801-1822), sconosciuto in vita. Ha scritto una propria lirica estone, ma morì molto giovane. La sua opera venne pubblicata solo nel 1922, nel centenario della sua morte. Il suo compleanno viene festeggiato oggi come "giornata della lingua estone". 

L'opera più significativa in lingua estone è il ''Kalevipoeg'', che narra l'epopea nazionale degli estoni. Consiste di circa 20.000 versi in 20 cantiche e fu iniziata da Friedrich Robert Fählmann (1799-1851) per essere poi finita da Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald (1803-1882). Il ''Kalevipoeg'' (estone "figlio di Kalev") si basa su una tradizione orale delle saghe del gigante Kalevipoeg. 

Johann Woldemar Jannsen ha scritto il testo dell'inno nazionale Nationalhymne "Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm"; più importante dal punto di vista della storia della letteratura è stata sua figlia Lydia Koidula (1843-1886) che scrisse poesie patriottiche.

Negli anni '80 la cultura estone venne oppressa e si impose la russificazione. 
La situazione migliorò dopo la rivoluzione del 1905 e nel 1918 l'Estonia dichiarò la sua indipendenza. Un importante scrittore estone dell'epoca è stato il lirico Juhan Liiv (1864 - 1913), a cui oggi è dedicato un premio per la letteratura. 
In questo periodo fu attivo anche romanzi e drammi naturalistici.

== Dal 1905 alla sovranità sovietica ==

Nel 1905 venne fondato il gruppo "Giovane Estonia" (''Noor-Eesti'', ispirato al movimento letterario tedesco della Junges Deutschland - ''Giovane Germania''), a cui appartenevano il lirico Gustav Suits (1883-1956) e Friedebert Tuglas (1886-1971) nonché Grünthal-Ridala e Johannes Aavik (1880-1973). Il gruppo aspirava ad un ammodernamento della letteratura estone secondo modelli europei. 

Anche Oskar Luts (1887-1953), romanziere di fama, guadagnò la notorietà con il romanzo "Primavera" (''Kevade'') come anche il lirico Erst Enno (1875-1934).