Jaan Kaplinski Jaan Kaplinski is an Estonian poet, philosopher, politician, and culture critic.  is known for his focus on global issues and support for left-wing/liberal thinking. He was influenced by Eastern philosophical schools (Taoism and especially Buddhism). He worked as a translator, editor, and sociologist, and as an ecologist at the Tallinn Tallinn, the largest city and capital of Estonia (population 440 000). Botanic Garden. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature.