Kristjan Jaak Peterson Biography | Poet

Kristjan Jaak Peterson (March 14  [ O.S. March 2]  1801, Riga - August 4  [ O.S. July 23]  1822, Riga) also known as Christian Jacob Petersohn, was an Estonian poet, commonly regarded as a herald of Estonian national literature and the founder of modern Estonian poetry. His literary career was cut short by the tuberculosis that killed him at the age of 21. His birthday on March 14 is celebrated in Estonia as the Mother Tongue Day.