Celebrating Estonia

 
READING EUROPE FROM UK INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS

There are 24 countries in the EU in addition to the 4 countries in the British Isles and Commonwealth. Before the EU Referendum let us take the opportunity to find out something more about fellow members and neighbours. The recommended titles have been selected to let the reader know the literature, history and culture of each country better. On 9 June we celebrate Estonia.

RECOMMENDED TITLES FROM ESTONIA

 

Apothecary Melchior and the Mystery of St Olaf's Church by Indrek Hargla, translated by Adam Cullen (Peter Owen) 978 0 720618 44 0, pages 288, £9.99 Set in fifteen-century Tallinn when Estonia is at the edge of Christian lands and the last foothold before the East. It is a city of foreign merchants and engineers, dominated by the mighty castle of Toompea and the construction of St Olaf's Church, soon to become the tallest building in the world. The investigations of the chemist-turned-detective Melchior and the historical detail helps bring to life medieval Estonia.

The Same River by Jaan Kaplinski, translated by Susan Wilson

ISBN 978 0 720613 40 7, pages 320, £9.99

The Same River is set against the background of Tartu, Soviet Estonia, in the early 1960s. Told with the deadpan humour of an older man looking back at his very serious younger self, this semi-autobiographical work describes a young student's life, dominated by oriental studies, poetry and a desperate need to lose his virginity. However, following involvement with the mysterious Teacher, he finds himself hauled in front of the KGB for disseminating banned poetry, a situation as absurd as it is alarming. The Estonian countryside, its literary culture, national identity and the atmosphere of the country during the Soviet period are all evoked in a language of evocative lyricism.

FURTHER READING FOR ESTONIA FROM DEDALUS

The Dedalus Book of Estonian Literature edited by Jan Kaus and translated by Eric Dickens

ISBN 1 903517 95 6, pages 303, £9.99

The Dedalus Book of Estonia Literature offers a wide-ranging selection of fiction from the end of the nineteenth century until the present day, including work by Estonia's classic and most important contemporary authors. This is the most important selection of Estonian fiction to have appeared in English and will be essential reading for anyone wanting to gain an idea of Estonian Literature.