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Kaur Kender

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Kaur Kender
Born27 May 1971

Kaur Kender (born 27 May 1971) is an Estonian author[1] and entrepreneur. An advertising executive by profession, Kender entered the Estonian literary scene in 1998 with his debut novel "Independence Day" ("Iseseisvuspäev"). "Independence Day" has been translated into Finnish (2001) and Russian (2003).

Kender subsequently published the novels Yuppie God (1999), Check out (2001), and Abnormal (2000). He has also written collaborative works: Raha (2002), which was published together with banker Rain Lõhmus, and Through Peaceful Eyes (2001) with Herkki Erich Merila. Several reprints have appeared of most of his books. Eesti Päevaleht has called him one of the most successful Estonian contemporary authors.[2]

Kender has stated that he sometimes wishes that truck drivers and prostitutes would write more books because they have unusual stories to tell.[3]

Kender provided both input and investment to support his fellow Estonian author Robert Kurvitz's novel Sacred and Terrible Air (2013). In 2014, Kender published a controversial novel called Untitled 12 which polarized Estonian society. While some critics lauded it, others accused the novel of being inappropriate. The Finnish PEN described it as a "grotesque thriller" and an important book discussing taboos central to the entertainment industry, including death, serial murder, pornography, and pedophilia.[4] In early 2016, he was charged with writing child pornography and put on trial, but was later acquitted.[5][6][7]

Kender moved to London in 2017 to found and act as an early investor and Executive Producer for the video game Disco Elysium, which became a critical and commercial success for the development team ZA/UM.[8] Kender jokingly said that Disco Elysium was funded by "four Fs": Friends, Fools, Family, and Kender's Ferrari, which formerly belonged to Dolph Lundgren. The origins of the game were detailed in articles by GamesRadar and PC Gamer.[9][10]

Disco Elysium won multiple BAFTAs, including awards for music[11] and narrative.[12]

Bibliography

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References

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  1. ^ Hasselblatt, Cornelius (2006). Geschichte der estnischen Literatur: von den Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart. Walter de Gruyter. p. 774. ISBN 978-3-11-018025-1.
  2. ^ "Eesti lugu: Kaur Kender "Iseseisvuspäev"". Eesti Päevaleht (in Estonian). Retrieved 2023-11-27.
  3. ^ "Kaur Kender - Petty God". Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  4. ^ ERR (2016-07-17). "Finnish PEN club: Kender's 'U12' is a 'grotesque thriller', not child porn". ERR. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
  5. ^ Robertson, James (2017-01-05). "Transgression as ends and means: The trial of Kaur Kender". Lefteast. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  6. ^ ERR, BNS | (2016-02-10). "Trial of Kaur Kender on child porn charges to be partially closed to the public". ERR. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  7. ^ "Estonia: Savisaar says will stay in politics for a long time". The Baltic Times. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  8. ^ Wiltshire, Alex (9 January 2020). "The making of Disco Elysium: How ZA/UM created one of the most original RPGs of the decade". GamesRadar. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  9. ^ Rich Stanton (2022-11-23). "Disco Elysium's elevator pitch: 'the greatest fantasy setting ever conceived'". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
  10. ^ Alex Wiltshire (2020-01-09). "The making of Disco Elysium: How ZA/UM created one of the most original RPGs of the decade". gamesradar. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
  11. ^ "Disco Elysium - MUSIC". www.bafta.org. 2020-03-03. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
  12. ^ "DISCO ELYSIUM - NARRATIVE". www.bafta.org. 2020-03-03. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
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