Kalju Kruusa: key obituary facts
Is Kalju Kruusa dead? Yes. Kalju Kruusa died on October 20, 2026, at age 53.
Cause of death: Kalju Kruusa's cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
What was Kalju Kruusa known for?
He was an Estonian poet, editor and translator (born 1973).
More about Kalju Kruusa
Born: 10 October 1973.
Place of birth: Tallinn.
Gender: male.
Occupation: writer, translator, poet.
Nationality: Estonia.
Education: Tallinn Co-education Gymnasium, Tallinn University.
Awards: Gustav Suits Poetry Award, Betti Alver literary award.
Kalju Kruusa, the Estonian poet, editor and translator, died October 20, 2026, aged 53.
Born Jaanus Valk in Tallinn on October 10, 1973, he became known by the name Kalju Kruusa. His studies, beginning in 1993, included the University of Tartu, Tallinn University and Waseda University in Tokyo.
In 2008, he defended a bachelor’s thesis on the French symbolist poet Stéphane Mallarmé. Kruusa was among the founders of Erakkond, a literary group established in 1996 whose name means “Hermitkind.” His editorial work included Ninniku, a poetry e-magazine he founded in 2001 with Hasso Krull. Kruusa served as the publication’s co-editor until 2010. His honors included the Gustav Suits Poetry Award and the Betti Alver literary award, recognizing his work in Estonian letters. Across poetry, editing and translation, his career connected literary writing with the creation and support of forums for poetry.