In memoriam Ivar Sinimets (1952-2025)
It is with deep sadness that we received the news of the passing of Ivar Sinimets (7 October 1952 – 4 August 2025), a translator, researcher, and mediator of Hungarian literature, language teacher, and great friend of Hungary.
A young man from Võru County who had come to Tartu University to study Finno-Ugric linguistics, he enrolled at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest in the early 1970s to study Hungarian and Finno-Ugric languages. Even during his studies, he stood out for his dedication, precision, and great love for the Hungarian language and culture.
After graduating, Ivar devoted decades of his life to researching, translating, interpreting, and introducing the literature of our kindred people to the Estonian public. Ivar’s translations have brought many notable examples of Hungarian literature to Estonian readers. He is also remembered for his thorough introductions and commentaries on literary works.
He worked for many years as a lecturer in Hungarian at Tallinn University and taught Hungarian enthusiastically to interested students since the 1980s. Ivari’s language learning materials and vocabulary lists have remained in the memories of his students and served as valuable reference materials in their later lives. His work resulted in a Hungarian language textbook and later a master’s thesis comparing the structure and methodology of various Hungarian language textbooks.
Ivar Sinimets’s magnum opus was published in 2014 as an e-book entitled “Ungari kirjandus mitteungarlasele” (Hungarian Literature for Non-Hungarians). In addition to its literary history, the publication offers numerous translation examples and explains the nature of Hungarian source texts. The work is an inexhaustible source for anyone who wants to get a brief or more in-depth overview of Magyar literature in Estonian.
In addition, Ivar Sinimets was an outstanding interpreter. He was entrusted with accompanying distinguished guests and delegations during state visits.
Ivar’s work and attitude towards life were characterised by precision and correctness. As a highly skilled linguist, he was able to convey the nuances of the text in his translations.
Despite his introverted and sometimes even mysterious nature, Ivar left a deep mark on Hungarian studies in Estonia with his diligence and love for Hungary.
In 2015, Ivar Sinimets was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary for his work in promoting and teaching Hungarian language and literature in Estonia.
Ivar Sinimets is remembered by:
Tallinn Liszt Institute – Hungarian Cultural Centre
Estonian-Hungarian Society
Former colleagues from Tallinn University
The editorial board and editorial team of the magazine Lähivõrdlusi.Lähivertailuja
Fenno-Ugria Foundation
