Jüri Talvet

Jüri Talvet (born 17 December 1945) is an Estonian poet and academic. He is the author of various literary works including poetry, criticism, and essays.

Early life and education Jüri Talvet was born on 16 December 1945 in Pärnu. His younger sister is diplomat, literary translator and poet Malle Talvet-Mustonen. Talvet received his MA degree in English philology from the University of Tartu in 1972 and defended his PhD degree in Western European literature at Leningrad (St. Petersburg) University in 1981.

Career In 1974 Talvet began teaching Western literary history at the University of Tartu and has worked as a full-time Professor and Chair of Comparative Literature at the university since 1992. In 1992/1993 he founded Spanish studies at the school.

He has chaired the Estonian Association of Comparative Literature since 1994. He is the editor of Interlitteraria, the annual international journal of comparative literature published by Tartu University Press.

In addition to his university roles, Talvet has also worked as an Estonian translator of Spanish works by authors such as Francisco de Quevedo and Gabriel García Márquez.