
Piret Jaaks
Writer and
Playwright
Here you’ll find more information about my novels and short stories.

Daughters of Heaven
The historical novel "Daughters of Heaven" won 3rd place in 2023 Estonian New Novel competition and takes us to the Ottoman empire during World War I and is based on the life story of Anna Hedwig Büll (1887-1981), an Estonian missionary and school teacher.
In "Daughters of Heaven", the young missionary Hedvig travels to an orphanage in the city of Marash, where the tragic war events begin to unfold before her eyes. At the moment of departure, young missionary Hedvig is unaware that she is heading straight into hell, where she must hide hundreds of children to prevent them from being sent to the Syrian desert to perish.
The central themes of the novel are individual responsibility and the potential for mercy, which begin to weigh on missionaries sent far from home amidst the turmoil of war. Step by step, by tying together fragments of the history of Estonia, Europe and the Middle East, the story of the greatness of the human soul unfolds before us.

Moose Light
The novel "Moose Light" (2024) tells a magical story about Anna, a children's writer, and her husband Askur, who have relocated to the countryside and are struggling to adjust to life after a tragic event.
Although they hope to find paradise in their new home, the land does not seem to be blessing them. Despite the husband carrying a gun and trying to become a hunter, Anna finds solace in a mystical white moose.
The novel is based on Piret Jaaks's play 'Rites of Passages', which won first place in the Estonian play competition in 2019. It premiered at the Ugala Theater one year later under the title "White Moose".
Three nominations were given to the play along with stage direction in the 2021 Estonian Theater Awards, with one being for best original dramaturgy.
"Rites of Passages" was also nominated for the Estonian main Literature Award in the Playwriting category.

Urban Legends
A collection of short fiction "Urban Legends" won Best Debut of the Year award in Estonia in 2015. It brings together ten astonishing and fantasy-rich short stories, each exploring a different city of the world where unexpected events take place.