Mikhel Mutt was born in Tartu, Estonia, in 1953. He is the son of the well-known translator and anglicist Oleg Mutt. He studied Estonian philology and began his career as a critic and editor. He was the editor-in-chief of the cultural magazine Sirp and until recently of Looming, the leading literary magazine in Estonia. Mutt made his name as an essayist, political commentator, literature and theatre critic, and translator. Since the 1970s, he has published a variety of novellas, essays, and satirical novels, as well as a children’s book. He has been awarded numerous prizes.