Estonia (Russia / USSR, Estonian SSR) Bronze Medal 1978 - In memory of A. H. Tammsaare (1878-1940)
124.99g. 70mm. UNC/UNC.
Tallinn Artistic Products Combinate “ARS”, Metal Leafing Studio.
The medal did not undergo the full technological cycle and was not patinated.
A. H. Tammsaare (Anton Hansen Tammsaare, 1878-1940) was the most influential Estonian writer of the 20th century and a leading representative of critical realism in Estonian literature. Born into a peasant family in northern Estonia, he drew deeply on rural life, social conflict, and moral philosophy, transforming them into works of lasting national and universal significance.
Tammsaare was educated at Hugo Treffner Gymnasium and studied law at the University of Dorpat (Tartu). He began his literary career as a journalist and short-story writer, gaining early recognition for his analytical portrayal of Estonian society and the psychological depth of his characters. Periods of illness, including tuberculosis, led him to the Caucasus, where his worldview matured and his writing acquired a stronger philosophical dimension.
His literary legacy culminated in the five-volume novel cycle Truth and Justice (Tõde ja õigus, 1926-1933), widely regarded as the national epic of Estonia. Through several generations of one family, the work explores fundamental human “contracts” with land, faith, society, self, and fate, combining realism with ethical and existential inquiry. The cycle secured Tammsaare’s position as Estonia’s most widely read and intellectually respected author.
Tammsaare died suddenly in 1940 in Tallinn and was buried at Metsakalmistu (Forest Cemetery). His image has since become inseparable from Estonian cultural identity; his portrait appeared on the 25-kroon banknote, and monuments, museums, and streets across Estonia commemorate his enduring influence on national literature and thought.
