August Gailit is one of the most renowned Estonian writers, born in what is now Valga County near Sangaste in 1891. He fled Estonia as a boat refugee from the Red Army in September 1944 and lived and continued writing his novels and short stories in Sweden until his death in 1960. On the 134th anniversary of his birth, his remains were reburied from Örebro Northern Cemetery to Metsakalmistu Cemetery in Tallinn.
On September 23rd, a discussion evening took place at Tsirguliina Library, where Valga Museum project manager Rainer Kuutma gave an overview to the fifteen attendees about writer August Gailit's roots and close connection with Sangaste Parish and the Tsirguliina area.
The event was organised in cooperation with Valga Museum and the August Gailit Birthplace Society, and was held specifically at Tsirguliina Library because since May 22nd, an exhibition about August Gailit had been on display there. The exhibition, titled Mr. Ge, was prepared at Valga Museum in April 2025 before the awarding of the Gailit short story prize as part of the literary Prima Vista festival. The exhibition will remain in Tsirguliina until September 29th, 2026.
Kuutma spoke in more detail about the writer's ancestors and his youth near Sangaste Castle at Kuiksilla, Laatre, and Tsirguliina, as well as his school years and the beginning of his literary activity there. There was also interest in his connection with the tailor Braun, who lived in Tsirguliina and was Gailit's godfather; incidentally, he is also considered to be the prototype for Toomas Nipernaadi, one of August Gailit's well-known literary heros.
After the presentation, video clips from the 1990 television programme August Gailit 100 by Margus Kastepalu were watched.
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