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Kaur Kender

Kaur Kender
Born27 May 1971
OccupationWriter
LanguageEstonian
CitizenshipEstonia
Period1998 – present
GenreLiterary fiction

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

Kender subsequently published the novels Yuppie God (1999), Abnormal (2000), and Check Out (2001). He has also written collaborative works: Through Peaceful Eyes (2001) with Heikki Erich Merila, and Raha (2002) with banker Rain Lõhmus. Eesti Päevaleht has identified Kender's work as one of the "most scandalous" in Estonian contemporary works.[2]

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 novel called Untitled 12, which received mixed reactions in Estonian society. 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.[3] In early 2016, he was charged with writing child pornography and put on trial but was later acquitted.[4][5][6] In 2025, Kender claimed that Robert Kurvitz, not he, was the author of Untitled 12.[7] He wrote under the pseudonym Kras Mazov on the RPGcodex forum: “I haven't even read it. I'm just a shitposter.”[8]

Kender moved to London in 2017 to found and act as an early investor and Executive Producer for the video game Disco Elysium, which achieved critical and commercial success for the development team ZA/UM.[9] Disco Elysium won multiple British Academy Games Awards,[10] including one for narrative.[11] 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.[12][13]

Bibliography

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  • Iseseisvuspäev; English translation: Independence Day (1998, ISBN 978-9949-684-99-1)
  • Yuppiejumal; English translation: Yuppiegod (1999, ISBN 978-9985-79-510-1)
  • Ebanormaalne; English translation: Abnormal (2000, ISBN 978-9985-79-362-6)
  • Läbi rahulike silmade; English translation: Through Peaceful Eyes (2001, ISBN 9985-9291-9-5)
  • Check Out (2001, ISBN 978-9949-38-958-2)
  • Pangapettus; English translation: Bank Con (2002, ISBN 978-9985-9424-8-2)
  • Kuidas saada isaks; English translation: How to Become a Father (2003, ISBN 978-9949-10-306-5)
  • Raha; English translation: Money (2002, ISBN 978-9985-78-428-0) (together with Rain Lõhmus)
  • Comeback (2010, ISBN 978-9985-79-463-0)
  • Untitled 12 (2014, ISBN 978-1-5308-4165-3)

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 27 November 2023.
  3. ^ "Finnish PEN club: Kender's 'U12' is a 'grotesque thriller', not child porn". ERR. 17 July 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  4. ^ Robertson, James (5 January 2017). "Transgression as ends and means: The trial of Kaur Kender". Lefteast. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  5. ^ "Trial of Kaur Kender on child porn charges to be partially closed to the public". ERR. BNS. 10 February 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  6. ^ "Estonia: Savisaar says will stay in politics for a long time". The Baltic Times. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  7. ^ "Kaur Kender väitis, et ta kohtupinki viinud teose kirjutas Robert Kurvitz. Väidetav autor: ma ei kommenteeri seda". Eesti Päevaleht (in Estonian). Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  8. ^ "XXX Nightshift - true detective RPG from former Disco Elysium developers". RPGCodex. 13 March 2005.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ "Disco Elysium - MUSIC". www.bafta.org. 3 March 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  11. ^ "DISCO ELYSIUM - NARRATIVE". www.bafta.org. 3 March 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  12. ^ Rich Stanton (23 November 2022). "Disco Elysium's elevator pitch: 'the greatest fantasy setting ever conceived'". PC Gamer. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  13. ^ Alex Wiltshire (9 January 2020). "The making of Disco Elysium: How ZA/UM created one of the most original RPGs of the decade". gamesradar. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
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