Robert Kurvitz

Kurvitz is the son of artists Raoul Kurvitz and Lilian Mosolainen.[1] In 2001 he became the lyricist and lead singer of progressive rock band Ultramelanhool,[2] inspired by Estonian bands Metro Luminal and Vennaskond.[3] To date, they have released two albums, Must apelsin (Black Orange) and Materjal (Material), in 2004 and 2008 respectively.[4] A song from the first album Talvehommik ("Winter Morning") was featured in the Kanal 2 TV series Ühikarotid ("Dorm Rats").

The band failed to find an Estonian record label for their second album. It was self-released with money inherited Kurvitz's long-time friend, editor and collaborator Martin Luiga,[5] and released on the internet for free.[6] A third album, Fantastika was announced on the ZA/UM website in May 2011,[7] but it has yet to materialize.[8]

In 2011 Kurvitz collaborated with Raoul Kurvitz on the album Forbidden to Sing, providing backing vocals and synth.[9] The album was granted the Annual Award of Estonian Cultural Endowment.[10]

Kurvitz largely relies on the traditions of world-building from Dungeons & Dragons in his writing, having played the table-top roleplaying game for much of his life. Others are also involved in the development of ideas. "Mass editing" was employed as a tool in the finishing stage of the book, where people of various backgrounds assessed the readability and realism of the work, pointed out confusing passages and suggested amendments.[11]

In 2013 Kurvitz published the novel Sacred and Terrible Air (Estonian: "Püha ja õudne lõhn"). It is set in a fictional world and centers on three men who, twenty years after the mysterious disappearance of their classmates, are still determined to find them. It received mostly positive reviews,[12][13] with literary theorist Johanna Ross highlighting it as one of the few books to successfully bridge the science fiction and "literature proper".[11]

Later that year, Kurvitz resigned from his role as editor of Estonian cultural magazine Sirp when Andres Aule publicly voiced his objections to a poem being published allegedly without his permission; Kurvitz and Kaur Kender assumed responsibility.[14]

Kurvitz founded the video game development company ZA/UM in 2016. Its first game, Disco Elysium, set in the world of the Sacred and Terrible Air, was released on 15 October 2019 with Kurvitz serving as its lead writer and designer.[15][16][17] The game received universal acclaim, with its narrative and conversational systems receiving the most in particular. It won several awards and accolades from various publications.[18][19][20]