{"id":4784,"date":"2026-07-09T10:43:59","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T15:43:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/lwf-refugee-service\/?page_id=4784"},"modified":"2026-07-10T14:30:53","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T19:30:53","slug":"astrid-and-ivar-ivask","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/lwf-refugee-service\/astrid-and-ivar-ivask\/","title":{"rendered":"Astrid and Ivar Ivask"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; admin_label=&#8221;Header&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;#FFFFF0&#8243; background_image=&#8221;https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/lwf-refugee-service\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1702\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-12-095433.jpg&#8221; locked=&#8221;off&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_row admin_label=&#8221;Row&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;RGBA(255,255,255,0)&#8221; use_background_color_gradient=&#8221;on&#8221; background_color_gradient_type=&#8221;conic&#8221; background_color_gradient_direction=&#8221;296deg&#8221; background_color_gradient_direction_radial=&#8221;left&#8221; background_color_gradient_stops=&#8221;#8b2230 0%|rgba(255,255,255,0) 99%&#8221; width=&#8221;100%&#8221; max_width=&#8221;2029px&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;|||69px|false|false&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_font=&#8221;Lato||||||||&#8221; text_text_color=&#8221;#FFFFF0&#8243; header_font=&#8221;&#8211;et_global_heading_font||||||||&#8221; header_text_color=&#8221;#FFFFF0&#8243; header_font_size=&#8221;90px&#8221; background_layout=&#8221;dark&#8221; header_font_size_tablet=&#8221;90px&#8221; header_font_size_phone=&#8221;49px&#8221; header_font_size_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h1>Astrid &amp; Ivar Ivask<\/h1>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_button button_url=&#8221;https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/lwf-refugee-service\/sydney-hugdahl\/&#8221; button_text=&#8221;By Sydney Hugdahl&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.7&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_layout=&#8221;dark&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_divider show_divider=&#8221;off&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;RGBA(255,255,255,0)&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_divider][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; admin_label=&#8221;Beginings'&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;#FFFFF0&#8243; top_divider_color=&#8221;RGBA(255,255,255,0)&#8221; top_divider_flip=&#8221;vertical&#8221; bottom_divider_style=&#8221;wave2&#8243; bottom_divider_color=&#8221;#8B2230&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_row column_structure=&#8221;1_2,1_2&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_2&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.7&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;16px&#8221; text_line_height=&#8221;1.8em&#8221; link_text_color=&#8221;gcid-secondary-color&#8221; header_font_size=&#8221;50px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-secondary-color%22:%91%22link_text_color%22%93}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h1>Beginnings<\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ivar Ivask was born December 22, 1927, to Friedrich and Ilze Ivask.<sup><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><a href=\"#fn\">1<\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Growing up, he spent time going between Riga, the capital of Latvia, and a small town in Estonia called Rongu.<sup><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><a href=\"#fn\">2<\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Astrid Ivask (ne\u00e9 Hartmanis) was born to Martins and Marija Hartmanis August 7, 1926 in Riga.<sup><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><a href=\"#fn\">3<\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Martins Hartmanis was a general for the Latvian Army, leading him to being deported by the Soviets as a potential threat in 1940.<sup><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><a href=\"#fn\">4<\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Four years later, Astrid, her mother, and her brother fled the oncoming Soviet army, with the shadow of their father&#8217;s deportation and death prompting such action.<sup><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><a href=\"#fn\">5<\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ivar Ivask and his family also fled in 1944, with both families eventually ending up in Germany.<sup><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><a href=\"#fn\">6<\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Both Astrid and Ivar were skilled in languages. Ivar gained a degree in German literature, and Astrid obtained a master&#8217;s degree in romance languages in 1949.<sup><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><a href=\"#fn\">7<\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> They met as students at the University of Marburg while living as Displaced Persons in Germany.<sup><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><a href=\"#fn\">8<\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Astrid and Ivar got married in 1949, just before immigrating to the United States.<sup><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><a href=\"#fn\">9<\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The Ivasks landed in Minnesota, where Ivar completed his PhD in German Literature at the University of Minnesota.<sup><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><a href=\"#fn\">10<\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Meanwhile, the Ivasks joined the St. Olaf community, becoming German and Russian language faculty members.<sup><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><a href=\"#fn\">11<\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_2&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_image src=&#8221;https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/lwf-refugee-service\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1702\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-26-141721.jpg&#8221; alt=&#8221;\u201cR\u00f5ngu linnuse varemed W.Tusch 2,53.\u201d Scan from the original work. Wilhelm Tusch. Wikimedia commons. {{PD-US}} https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:R%C3%B5ngu_linnuse_varemed_W.Tusch_2,53.jpg&#8221; title_text=&#8221;R\u00f5ngu linnuse varemed W.Tusch 2,53.&#8221; show_in_lightbox=&#8221;on&#8221; admin_label=&#8221;Rongu Image&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.7&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;70px||||false|false&#8221; box_shadow_style=&#8221;preset2&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_divider show_divider=&#8221;off&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_divider][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; admin_label=&#8221;Beloved Professors&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;#FFFFF0&#8243; top_divider_style=&#8221;wave2&#8243; top_divider_color=&#8221;#8B2230&#8243; bottom_divider_style=&#8221;mountains2&#8243; bottom_divider_color=&#8221;#1C2B5E&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_row admin_label=&#8221;Introduction&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;St. Olaf and Poetry&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.7&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;19px&#8221; text_line_height=&#8221;1.8em&#8221; link_text_color=&#8221;gcid-secondary-color&#8221; header_font_size=&#8221;50px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-secondary-color%22:%91%22link_text_color%22%93}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h1>Beloved Professors<\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Astrid taught in St. Olaf\u2019s Russian language department, serving as chair for many years before becoming a part-time professor.<sup><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><a href=\"#fn\">12<\/a><\/span><\/sup> Ivar Ivask taught in the German department, serving as chair from 1958 until the couple&#8217;s departure in 1967. During their time at St. Olaf, it is clear that the Ivasks became beloved members of the community.<sup><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><a href=\"#fn\">13<\/a><\/span><\/sup> In addition to being literary scholars, both Astrid and Ivar Ivask were poets themselves. In a 1967 article published in the St. Olaf Messenger, they are asked what their thoughts on poetry are. Ivar states, \u201c\u2018Poetry is a way of life,\u2019\u201d and Astrid adds, \u201cThe poet must be open to experiences as a child, and at the same time as free as a child from the societal pressures towards constant activity.\u201d<sup><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><a href=\"#fn\">14<\/a><\/span><\/sup> While at St. Olaf Ivar Ivask published his first sets of poems in Estonian.<sup><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><a href=\"#fn\">15<\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=&#8221;1_4,1_2,1_4&#8243; admin_label=&#8221;Mess Articles&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_image src=&#8221;https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/lwf-refugee-service\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1702\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-23-140645.jpg&#8221; alt=&#8221;%22Ivask&#8217;s Agreements Give Lib Volumes of Austrian Literature.%22 Article discussing Professor Ivask&#8217;s work with the Austrain Government to participate in literature event. &#8221; title_text=&#8221;%22Ivask&#8217;s Agreements Give Lib Volumes of Austrian Literature.%22&#8243; show_in_lightbox=&#8221;on&#8221; admin_label=&#8221;Austria Image&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; box_shadow_style=&#8221;preset2&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Austria Caption&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.7&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;18px&#8221; text_line_height=&#8221;1.8em&#8221; header_3_text_color=&#8221;#3E505C&#8221; header_3_font_size=&#8221;35px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIvask\u2019s Agreements Give Lib Volumes of Austrian Literature.&#8221; <\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This article from the St. Olaf Messenger credits Professor Ivask as one of the key reasons why St. Olaf received a gift from the Austrian Government. Along with Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, St. Olaf received 77 works of Austrian literature to be put on special display in the library.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_2&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_image src=&#8221;https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/lwf-refugee-service\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1702\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-12-095433.jpg&#8221; alt=&#8221;%22Ivask, Refugee from Red, Receives Doctor&#8217;s Degree.%22 Messenger article that celebrates the completion of Ivar Ivask&#8217;s doctorate.&#8221; title_text=&#8221;%22Ivask, Refugee from Red, Receives Doctor&#8217;s Degree%22&#8243; show_in_lightbox=&#8221;on&#8221; admin_label=&#8221;Congrats Image&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; box_shadow_style=&#8221;preset2&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Congrats Caption&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.7&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;18px&#8221; text_line_height=&#8221;1.8em&#8221; header_3_text_color=&#8221;#3E505C&#8221; header_3_font_size=&#8221;35px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIvask, Refugee from Reds, Receives Doctor\u2019s Degree.\u201d<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this article in the St. Olaf Messenger Professor Ivask is congratulated on receiving his doctorate from the University of Minnesota in German literature. The article also touches on Ivask\u2019s background as a displaced person and immigrant from Estonia. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_image src=&#8221;https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/lwf-refugee-service\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1702\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-12-095012.jpg&#8221; alt=&#8221;%228 3\/4.%22 Satire edition of the Messenger. Interview with Professor Ivask regarding potential pennames.&#8221; title_text=&#8221;%228 3\/4.%22&#8243; show_in_lightbox=&#8221;on&#8221; admin_label=&#8221;8 3\/4 Image&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; box_shadow_style=&#8221;preset2&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;8 3\/4 Caption&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.7&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;18px&#8221; text_line_height=&#8221;1.8em&#8221; header_3_text_color=&#8221;#3E505C&#8221; header_3_font_size=&#8221;27px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c8 \u00be\u201d by Hal Ulvestad.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This article is a satirical interview with Professor Ivask for the April Fools edition of the St. Olaf Messenger. Ivask discusses the theory that he is using a pen name. Beyond the satirical elements, there is a real discussion of Ivask\u2019s poetry and his skills with many languages.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_divider show_divider=&#8221;off&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_divider][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; admin_label=&#8221;Quote&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;#FFFFF0&#8243; top_divider_style=&#8221;mountains2&#8243; top_divider_color=&#8221;#1C2B5E&#8221; bottom_divider_style=&#8221;mountains2&#8243; bottom_divider_color=&#8221;#1C2B5E&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_row admin_label=&#8221;Quote&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.7&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_divider show_divider=&#8221;off&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.7&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; link_text_color=&#8221;gcid-secondary-color&#8221; header_text_color=&#8221;#8B2230&#8243; header_font_size=&#8221;50px&#8221; header_line_height=&#8221;1.1em&#8221; header_3_text_color=&#8221;#8B2230&#8243; header_3_font_size=&#8221;30px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-secondary-color%22:%91%22link_text_color%22%93}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\">&#8220;My absence of almost half a century had added only a couple of annual rings to its eternity&#8221;<\/h1>\n<h3>\u00a0<\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">&#8211; Ivar Ivask, 1988.<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><sup><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><a href=\"#fn\">16<\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider show_divider=&#8221;off&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_divider][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; admin_label=&#8221;Poetry and Beyond&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;#FFFFF0&#8243; top_divider_style=&#8221;mountains2&#8243; top_divider_color=&#8221;#1C2B5E&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_divider show_divider=&#8221;off&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.7&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_divider][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=&#8221;1_2,1_2&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.7&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_2&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_image src=&#8221;https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/lwf-refugee-service\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1702\/2026\/07\/Commemorative_plaque_to_Martins_Hartmanis.jpg&#8221; alt=&#8221;\u201cCommemorative plaque to Martins Hartmanis,\u201d Wikipedia, M\u0101rti\u0146\u0161 Bru\u0146enieks, September 23, 2010: Creative Commons.&#8221; title_text=&#8221;\u201cCommemorative plaque to Martins Hartmanis,\u201d Wikipedia, M\u0101rti\u0146\u0161 Bru\u0146enieks, September 23, 2010: Creative Commons.&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.7&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;72px||||false|false&#8221; custom_padding_tablet=&#8221;72px||||false|false&#8221; custom_padding_phone=&#8221;0px||||false|false&#8221; custom_padding_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; border_width_all=&#8221;7px&#8221; border_color_all=&#8221;#1C2B5E&#8221; border_style_all=&#8221;none&#8221; box_shadow_style=&#8221;preset2&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_2&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.7&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;16px&#8221; text_line_height=&#8221;1.8em&#8221; link_text_color=&#8221;gcid-secondary-color&#8221; header_font_size=&#8221;50px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-secondary-color%22:%91%22link_text_color%22%93}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h1>Poetry and Beyond<\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Throughout their lives, both Ivar and Astrid wrote poetry in a variety of languages.<sup><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><a href=\"#fn\">17<\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Ivar published his first collection of poems in Estonian, with later poems being in German, and English.<sup><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><a href=\"#fn\">18<\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Within their poems, the idea of homecoming is addressed. In the 1986 edition of the Baltic literary journal <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lituanus<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Ivar Ivask published a selection of poems from his <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Veranda Collection<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. In poem 22, he writes of his nanny, who became his mother figure after the death of his own mother in his childhood.<sup><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><a href=\"#fn\">19<\/a><\/span><\/sup> They were separated when Ivar\u2019s family fled Latvia, and they only were able to reunite in 1988, once the USSR allowed him into the country for the first time since his departure in 1944.<sup><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><a href=\"#fn\">20<\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Astrid Ivask touches on her distance from home in the poem<i> The Ionian Sea: Ithaka<\/i>, which was published in the 1987 edition of <em>Lituanus<\/em>.<sup><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><a href=\"#fn\">21<\/a><\/span><\/sup> Astrid writes, \u201cFortunate is he, who after long wandering is waited for at home. To wander is easy for us all; turning back is difficult. Not every exile comes at last to Ithaka\u201d (Ivask, 10). Their momentous return to the Baltics took place for the first time in 1988, where they were able to visit their birthplace of Riga, as well as the small city of Rongu in Estonia.<sup><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><a href=\"#fn\">22<\/a><\/span><\/sup> While there, Astrid could see and visit a monument to her father, 48 years after his death in the Russian deportation camps.<sup><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><a href=\"#fn\">23<\/a><\/span><\/sup> Ivar was able to visit his family burial plot, where he saw the graves of relatives who stayed in Estonia, as well as markers for those who were separated.<sup><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><a href=\"#fn\">24<\/a><\/span><\/sup> In a 1988 article in <i>World Literature Today<\/i>, Ivar states, \u201cHere I stood facing the first annual ring of our family tree and felt truly at home\u201d (Ivask, 395). The Ivasks confronted their forced exile through poetry, and eventually also their reconnection. After that visit home, they continued to write poetry, review literature and enjoy life. Ivar Ivask passed away on September 23rd, 1992.<sup><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><a href=\"#fn\">25<\/a><\/span><\/sup> After having her family property <\/span>returned in 2001<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014<\/span>which had been seized by the USSR<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014<\/span>Astrid moved back to Riga. She lived there until her death on March 24, 2015.<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><sup><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><a href=\"#fn\">26<\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;#1C2B5E&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Endnotes&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.7&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_text_color=&#8221;#FFFFF0&#8243; text_font_size=&#8221;16px&#8221; text_line_height=&#8221;1.8em&#8221; link_text_color=&#8221;#FFFFF0&#8243; header_text_color=&#8221;#FFFFF0&#8243; header_font_size=&#8221;50px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h1>Sources<\/h1>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">M. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Laak and A. Sakova, \u201cSituating Oneself Within the Estonian Language and World Literature: Ivar Ivask\u2019s Relational Ways of Self-Understanding,\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Folklore (Tartu, Estonia)<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (TARTU) 79, no. 79 (2020): 72.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ivask, \u201cA Home in Language and Poetry: Travel Impressions from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Russia, Autumn 1988,\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">World Literature Today<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (NORMAN) 63, no. 3 (1989): 395.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Obituary of Astrid Hartmanis Ivask, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The NORMAN Transcript<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, March 31, 2015.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Obituary of Astrid Hartmanis Ivask, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The NORMAN Transcript<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, March 31, 2015.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Obituary of Astrid Hartmanis Ivask, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The NORMAN Transcript<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, March 31, 2015.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sakova, \u201cReading Estonian Literature through a German Lens: How Ivar Ivask Became a World-Renowned Literary Scholar \/ Lugedes Eesti Kirjandust L\u00e4bi Saksa Kirjanduse Prisma Ehk Kuidas Ivask Ivaskist Sai Tuntud Kirjandusteadlane,\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Methis. Studia Humaniora Estonica<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 17, no. 21\/22 (2018): 152. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Obituary of Astrid Hartmanis Ivask, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The NORMAN Transcript<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, March 31, 2015; Laak and Sakova. \u201cSituating Oneself Within the Estonian Language and World Literature: Ivar Ivask\u2019s Relational Ways of Self-Understanding,\u201d 72.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Obituary of Astrid Hartmanis Ivask, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The NORMAN Transcript<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, March 31, 2015; Obituary of Ivar Ivask, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Independent (United Kingdom)<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, September 30, 1992;<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Laak and Sakova. \u201cSituating Oneself Within the Estonian Language and World Literature: Ivar Ivask\u2019s Relational Ways of Self-Understanding,\u201d 72.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Obituary of Ivar Ivask, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Independent (United Kingdom)<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, September 30, 1992.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sakova, \u201cReading Estonian Literature through a German Lens: How Ivar Ivask Became a World-Renowned Literary Scholar \/ Lugedes Eesti Kirjandust L\u00e4bi Saksa Kirjanduse Prisma Ehk Kuidas Ivask Ivaskist Sai Tuntud Kirjandusteadlane,\u201d 150-152.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Laak and Sakova, \u201cSituating Oneself Within the Estonian Language and World Literature: Ivar Ivask\u2019s Relational Ways of Self-Understanding,\u201d <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a072.<\/span><\/li>\n<li>St. Olaf Academic Catalog, 1962-1963, 12. This catalog contains A Record of 1962-63, the eighty-ninth year of St. Olaf College. It also contains the announcements for the year 1963-64.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">D. Brunet. &#8220;Opinions on poetry, morality highlighted in current &#8216;Touch&#8217;,&#8221; The Manitou Messenger (1916-2020), 1967; &#8220;Ivask Refugee from Reds, Receives Doctor&#8217;s Degree&#8221; The Manitou Messenger (1916-2020), 1954; &#8220;Ivask&#8217;s Agreements Give Lib Volumes of Austrian Literature&#8221; The Manitou Messenger (1916-2020), 1957; <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">H. Ulvestad, &#8220;8 3\/4&#8221; The Manitou Messenger (1916-2020), 1966. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brunet. &#8220;Opinions on poetry, morality highlighted in current &#8216;Touch&#8217;,&#8221; 1967.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">J. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Talvet,\u00a0 \u201cAlong The Annual Rings of The Heart: The Poetry of Ivar Ivask,\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Journal of Baltic Studies<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 30, no. 1 (1999): 40.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ivask,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201cA Home in Language and Poetry: Travel Impressions from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Russia, Autumn 1988,\u201d 395.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Talvet,\u00a0 \u201cAlong The Annual Rings of The Heart: The Poetry of Ivar Ivask,\u201d 40.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ivar wrote in English, Germany, and Estonian; <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">World Literature Today; \u201cA Tribute to Astrid Ivask: A Literary Light.\u201d Accessed June 23, 2026.<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/worldliteraturetoday.org\/blog\/literary-tributes\/tribute-astrid-ivask-literary-light\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/worldliteraturetoday.org\/blog\/literary-tributes\/tribute-astrid-ivask-literary-lig<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ht<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Astrid wrote poems in Latvian and English. She also translated her own poems and Ivar\u2019s.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Talvet,\u00a0 \u201cAlong The Annual Rings of The Heart: The Poetry of Ivar Ivask,\u201d 40.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0I. Ivask, \u201cIn The Circle of The Veranda: Poems From the Veranda Book,\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lituanus, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No. 1 (1986): 11.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ivask,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201cA Home in Language and Poetry: Travel Impressions from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Russia, Autumn 1988,\u201d 396.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A. Ivask, \u201cThe Ionian Sea: Ithaka,\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lituanus<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, No. 3 (1987): 10.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Ivask,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201cA Home in Language and Poetry: Travel Impressions from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Russia, Autumn 1988,\u201d 391.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Ivask,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201cA Home in Language and Poetry: Travel Impressions from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Russia, Autumn 1988,\u201d 398.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Ivask,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201cA Home in Language and Poetry: Travel Impressions from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Russia, Autumn 1988,\u201d 395.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Obituary of Ivar Ivask, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Independent (United Kingdom)<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, September 30, 1992.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Obituary of Astrid Hartmanis Ivask, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The NORMAN Transcript<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, March 31, 2015.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_button button_url=&#8221;https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/lwf-refugee-service\/research-resources\/&#8221; button_text=&#8221;Bibliography&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.7&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_layout=&#8221;dark&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;#FFFFF0&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Images&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.7&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;16px&#8221; text_line_height=&#8221;1.8em&#8221; header_font_size=&#8221;50px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h1>Images<\/h1>\n<ol>\n<li>(Heading) <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Juask Refugee from Red, Receives, Doctor&#8217;s Degree,&#8221; The Manitou Messenger (1916-2020), 1954. <\/span><\/li>\n<li>\u201cR\u00f5ngu linnuse varemed W.Tusch 2,53.\u201d Scan from the original work. Wilhelm Tusch. Wikimedia commons. United States of America Public Domain, {{PD-US}}. https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:R%C3%B5ngu_linnuse_varemed_W.Tusch_2,53.jpg<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Juask Refugee from Red, Receives, Doctor&#8217;s Degree,&#8221; The Manitou Messenger (1916-2020), 1954. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Ivask&#8217;s Agreements Give Lib Volumes of Austrian Literature,&#8221; The Manitou Messenger (1916-2020), 1957. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ulvestad, H. &#8220;8 \u00be.&#8221; The Manitou Messenger (1916-2020). 1966.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cCommemorative plaque to Martins Hartmanis,\u201d Wikipedia, M\u0101rti\u0146\u0161 Bru\u0146enieks, September 23, 2010. Published under Creative Commons. https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Commemorative_plaque_to_Martins_Hartmanis.jpg<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Astrid &amp; Ivar IvaskBeginnings Ivar Ivask was born December 22, 1927, to Friedrich and Ilze Ivask.1 Growing up, he spent time going between Riga, the capital of Latvia, and a small town in Estonia called Rongu.2 Astrid Ivask (ne\u00e9 Hartmanis) was born to Martins and Marija Hartmanis August 7, 1926 in Riga.3 Martins Hartmanis was [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5721,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4784","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/lwf-refugee-service\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/lwf-refugee-service\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/lwf-refugee-service\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/lwf-refugee-service\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5721"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/lwf-refugee-service\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4784"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/lwf-refugee-service\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4784\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5967,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/lwf-refugee-service\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4784\/revisions\/5967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/lwf-refugee-service\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}