Aija Sakova
Aija Sakova | |
|---|---|
Sakova at Arvamusfestival (2021) | |
| Born | December 5, 1980 Tallinn, Estonian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Other names | Sakova-Merivee (2012–2016) |
| Alma mater | University of Tartu |
| Occupations | Literary scholar, Germanist, critic, writer |
| Employer | Tallinn University |
| Notable work | Ausgraben und Erinnern (2016); Mäletamise poeetika (2020) |
Aija Sakova (born 5 December 1980) is an Estonian literary scholar, Germanist, critic and writer. From 2012 to 2016 she used the name Aija Sakova-Merivee.[1] She has published academic monographs on memory, witnessing and moral philosophy in literature, as well as books of essays, prose and poetry.[2] Since 2021 she has worked at Tallinn University in knowledge-transfer and cooperation roles.[3]
Education
Sakova studied German philology and later literature and cultural studies at the University of Tartu, completing a PhD with research on memory and moral witnessing in the works of Ene Mihkelson and Christa Wolf.[1] She has also studied at the University of Konstanz, the University of Vienna and Humboldt University of Berlin.[1]
Career and research
Sakova worked as a reporter and editor at the University of Tartu newspaper Universitas Tartuensis.[3] She later worked at the Academic Library of Tallinn University and at the Estonian Literary Museum, including in the Estonian Cultural History Archives.[3][1] Since the early 2000s, she has published literary criticism and essays in Estonian outlets, including Sirp.[1]
Her research focuses on memory and remembrance in literature, including representations of the Second World War and its aftermath, and the ethics of witnessing. Her work has addressed, among others, Ene Mihkelson, Christa Wolf and Ingeborg Bachmann.[1]
Sakova has been involved in the Ene Mihkelson Society (Ene Mihkelsoni Selts), established to support research and cultural initiatives related to the writer Ene Mihkelson.[4]
Sakova’s dissertation-based study received a substantial review in the journal Keel ja Kirjandus by literary scholar and translator Cornelius Hasselblatt.[5] Her later monograph Mäletamise poeetika (2020) was reviewed by Eret Talviste on ERR’s culture portal; the publication notes the review first appeared in Sirp.[6]
Selected works
Books
- Ausgraben und Erinnern. Denkbilder des Erinnerns und der moralischen Zeugenschaft im Werk von Christa Wolf und Ene Mihkelson (V&R unipress, 2016).[7]
- Valu, mälu, kirjandus: kirjanduskriitikat ja vestlusi aastatest 2004–2017 (EKSA, 2017).[8]
- Elamise julgus: kirjad Käbile (2019).[9]
- Mäletamise poeetika: Ene Mihkelsoni ja Christa Wolfi romaanid lähivaates (University of Tartu Press, 2020).[10]
- Isa suudlus (2020).[11]
Peer-reviewed articles
- Sakova, Aija (2018). "Reading Estonian Literature through a German Lens: How Ivar Ivask Became a World-renowned Literary Scholar". Methis. Studia humaniora Estonica (21/22). doi:10.7592/methis.v17i21/22.14591.
- Sakova, Aija; Laak, Marin (2020). "Situating Oneself Within the Estonian Language and World Literature: Ivar Ivask's Relational Ways of Self-Understanding". Folklore: Electronic Journal of Folklore (79): 71–90. doi:10.7592/fejf2020.79.sakova_laak.
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Aija Sakova". Estonian Writers’ Online Dictionary. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ "Ene Mihkelsoni mäletamise poeetikast ja moraalifilosoofiast ilmus monograafia Saksamaa teaduskirjastuses". ERR Kultuur (in Estonian). Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ a b c "Aija Sakova". Tallinn University (in Estonian). Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ "Tartus asutati Ene Mihkelsoni Selts". ERR Kultuur (in Estonian). Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ Hasselblatt, Cornelius. "Kui suur on maailmakirjandus?". Keel ja Kirjandus (in Estonian). Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ Talviste, Eret. "Arvustus. Inimlikkuse õppetund". ERR Kultuur (in Estonian). Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ "Ausgraben und Erinnern". Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht / V&R unipress (in German). Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ "Valu, mälu, kirjandus". DigAR (in Estonian). Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ "Elamise julgus: kirjad Käbile". DigAR (in Estonian). Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ "Mäletamise poeetika". DigAR (in Estonian). Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ "Isa suudlus". DigAR (in Estonian). Retrieved 29 January 2026.