Viivi Luik was born in 1946 in Tänassilma, Viljandi County, in the south of Estonia. Since 1965 she has published more than ten volumes of poetry, a short story, children's books, a radio play, essays, and three novels: Seitsmes rahukevad (The Seventh Spring of Peace, 1985), Ajaloo ilu (The Beauty of History, 1991), and Varjuteater (Shadow Play, 2010).
As the wife of a diplomat, she has spent several years abroad: in Helsinki (1993-1997), Berlin (1996) and Rome (1998–2003).
Her works have been translated into many languages, and she has been awarded many literary prizes, most recently the Jaan Kross Prize 2020.