Gunnar Alutalu was born in 1933 in the small Baltic country of Estonia. Having become a refugee during the Second World War, he experienced first-hand the insecurities and deprivations that wartime conditions bring. Nevertheless, he also had many agreeable and happy experiences and had the opportunity to travel, learn new languages, and come to a greater appreciation of other cultures. He landed as an immigrant to Canada in 1949. He studied welding engineering and worked in this field. He lives in Quebec City.