Category
Topic
Year
Our dispassionate literary criticism: A survey of 2015–2016
Keywords: literary criticism, arts and culture journalism, literary studies, modern literature, debate in criticism
Estonian literary criticism over the past two years (with digressions to 2014 and 2017) is discussed. The authors address criticism at large, not just reviews, trying to capture attitudinal stances aimed at transforming the literary field. The period is represented by ten bright moments, ten tendencies characteristic of criticism at large, and a description of the formal aspect of literary criticism. Various points of obstruction are listed, including an inability to analyse the changed field of poetry (due to obsolete methods), lack of passion, thin argumentation, the…
Estonian literary criticism over the past two years (with digressions to 2014 and 2017) is discussed. The authors address criticism at large, not just reviews, trying to capture attitudinal stances aimed at transforming the literary field. The period is represented by ten bright moments, ten tendencies characteristic of criticism at large, and a description of the formal aspect of literary criticism. Various points of obstruction are listed, including an inability to analyse the changed field of poetry (due to obsolete methods), lack of passion, thin argumentation, the…
The entangling I: Jaan Kross’ encapsulations of reality
Keywords: entangled literature, episteme, sensible and intelligible in culture, Jaan Kross, historical fictions, history as aesthetics
As an outcome of a paper presented initially at the conference „Entangled literature: national, cultural and generic intersections in the literary culture of Estonia”, the article tries to ground the concept of entangled literature in the presumably in–between and negative character of literary discourse in modern culture. Drawing inspiration from Michel Foucault’s The Order of Things, which states a kind of exclusion of literariness from the Western episteme since Cartesianism, the article argues for the specific role of modern literature (the novel) in building up minor (individual or…
As an outcome of a paper presented initially at the conference „Entangled literature: national, cultural and generic intersections in the literary culture of Estonia”, the article tries to ground the concept of entangled literature in the presumably in–between and negative character of literary discourse in modern culture. Drawing inspiration from Michel Foucault’s The Order of Things, which states a kind of exclusion of literariness from the Western episteme since Cartesianism, the article argues for the specific role of modern literature (the novel) in building up minor (individual or…
Books for listening
Keywords: audio books, speech synthesis, prosodic markers of text structure, phonetic database of foreign names, text-to-speech interface for library materials
The article describes the text-to-speech system Vox Populi, the Iselugeja (Self-Reader) application of Elisa Raamat, and the interactive service of reading aloud library materials in DIGAR user environment. Digitation of written library materials, electronic book circulation and the developments in speech technologies now enable the linguistically challenged – people suffering from visual impairment or dyslexia – to receive library services in the form of texts read aloud in synthetic speech or of audio books instead of paper books (no matter whether…
The article describes the text-to-speech system Vox Populi, the Iselugeja (Self-Reader) application of Elisa Raamat, and the interactive service of reading aloud library materials in DIGAR user environment. Digitation of written library materials, electronic book circulation and the developments in speech technologies now enable the linguistically challenged – people suffering from visual impairment or dyslexia – to receive library services in the form of texts read aloud in synthetic speech or of audio books instead of paper books (no matter whether…
Congeniality in the translations of ancient literature: discussions proceeding from the Estonian translation of Livy’s Ab urbe condita
Keywords: translation criticism, translation theory, congeniality, literary studies, Roman historical literature, ancient Greek literature, Titus Livius (Livy)
The principles of translation and commenting on classical literature are discussed on the example of an Estonian translation of Livy’s „History of Rome” (Ab urbe condita), Book 1. According to the translators Kristi Viiding, Mart Noorkõiv and Tuuli Triin Truusalu, they followed Johannes Aavik’s principle of team translation. The article points out that although the translation is largely successful, the translation strategy applied obviously deviates from the one claimed to have been used. Notably, the core concept of Aavik’s idea is congeniality, meaning that…
The principles of translation and commenting on classical literature are discussed on the example of an Estonian translation of Livy’s „History of Rome” (Ab urbe condita), Book 1. According to the translators Kristi Viiding, Mart Noorkõiv and Tuuli Triin Truusalu, they followed Johannes Aavik’s principle of team translation. The article points out that although the translation is largely successful, the translation strategy applied obviously deviates from the one claimed to have been used. Notably, the core concept of Aavik’s idea is congeniality, meaning that…
The verb saama ’to get’ in grammatical constructions
Keywords: polysemy, grammaticalization, construction, verb saama ’to get’, written Estonian
In the present article an overview is given of the development of the grammatical functions of the Estonian polysemous and polyfunctional verb saama ’get; can, become’. The article is a follow-up to an overview of the lexical usages of the same verb (Habicht, Tragel 2014). saama is an old Estonian verb with a long history of grammaticalization from a lexical motion verb to a modal auxiliary and to an auxiliary verb used in future constructions. The verb saama is frequent both in early and modern written Estonian, in particular due to the various grammatical functions expressed by saama-constructions. The Estonian saama-constructions…
In the present article an overview is given of the development of the grammatical functions of the Estonian polysemous and polyfunctional verb saama ’get; can, become’. The article is a follow-up to an overview of the lexical usages of the same verb (Habicht, Tragel 2014). saama is an old Estonian verb with a long history of grammaticalization from a lexical motion verb to a modal auxiliary and to an auxiliary verb used in future constructions. The verb saama is frequent both in early and modern written Estonian, in particular due to the various grammatical functions expressed by saama-constructions. The Estonian saama-constructions…
Pain and promise of non-belonging: Andrei Ivanov’s exception in Estonian literature
Keywords: exile, Edward Said, Andrei Ivanov, exception, Giorgio Agamben, Russian Estonian literature, transnational literature
Andrei Ivanov is one of the most interesting authors of contemporary Estonian literature, but he has not been easy to pigeonhole, both in terms of his personality and oeuvre. His texts written in Russian, but doggedly addressing vital issues of local culture, are often experienced as a challenge to the self-identity of Estonian literature and culture. The article investigates the role of Ivanov and his oeuvre in Estonian literature with the help of the concept of „exception”. The analysis of different identitarian categories, both on the institutional…
Andrei Ivanov is one of the most interesting authors of contemporary Estonian literature, but he has not been easy to pigeonhole, both in terms of his personality and oeuvre. His texts written in Russian, but doggedly addressing vital issues of local culture, are often experienced as a challenge to the self-identity of Estonian literature and culture. The article investigates the role of Ivanov and his oeuvre in Estonian literature with the help of the concept of „exception”. The analysis of different identitarian categories, both on the institutional…
Caught in the Soviet turmoil: the story of Irma Truupõld
Keywords: Irma Truupõld, Estonian children’s literature, Estonian women’s literature, Soviet occupation
Irma Truupõld (1903–1980) began publishing short stories and poetry for both children and adults at the age of twenty. Four of her children’s books came out in print in the mid-1930s: Rohelise Päikese Maa (The Land of the Green Sun), Öömori okaslinn (The Needle City of Öömori), Aadi esimene armastus (Aadi’s First Love) and Kuidas jõuluvana leidis endale ameti (How Father Christmas Found His Profession). Of these, the first two are held in the highest regard and have remained her most popular works. Unfortunately, Truupõld’s literary career was cut short by the Soviet occupation and the establishment of…
Irma Truupõld (1903–1980) began publishing short stories and poetry for both children and adults at the age of twenty. Four of her children’s books came out in print in the mid-1930s: Rohelise Päikese Maa (The Land of the Green Sun), Öömori okaslinn (The Needle City of Öömori), Aadi esimene armastus (Aadi’s First Love) and Kuidas jõuluvana leidis endale ameti (How Father Christmas Found His Profession). Of these, the first two are held in the highest regard and have remained her most popular works. Unfortunately, Truupõld’s literary career was cut short by the Soviet occupation and the establishment of…
Has Otto Wilhelm Masing had a talk with Karelians and/or Wepses?
Keywords: history of Finno-Ugric studies, lexis, Finnic languages, Vepsian, Karelian
Otto Wilhelm Masing wrote in 1821 to Johann Heinrich Rosenplänter, that in a tavern he had met with Karelians from Olonets province. Masing presented in his letter two three-word sentences and six particular words by the old spelling system: hüwa ’good’, koer ’dog’, kolen ’(I) die’, kuma ’godfather; good mate’, minna ’I’, mursja ’bride’ (in fact ’young married woman’ and other meanings), om ’is’, penni ’dog’, surm ’death’, täempä ’today’, waat ’here’, waits ’knife’.
It is possible that Masing has noticed at least some Vepsian words but very scantily. This proofs lack…
Otto Wilhelm Masing wrote in 1821 to Johann Heinrich Rosenplänter, that in a tavern he had met with Karelians from Olonets province. Masing presented in his letter two three-word sentences and six particular words by the old spelling system: hüwa ’good’, koer ’dog’, kolen ’(I) die’, kuma ’godfather; good mate’, minna ’I’, mursja ’bride’ (in fact ’young married woman’ and other meanings), om ’is’, penni ’dog’, surm ’death’, täempä ’today’, waat ’here’, waits ’knife’.
It is possible that Masing has noticed at least some Vepsian words but very scantily. This proofs lack…
On the poetics of transgressive literature (II)
Keywords: transgressive literature, scandal, lawsuit, contemporary Estonian literature, pornography, parody, grotesque, horror vacui
In his short story „Untitled 12”, ambivalent Estonian author and journalist Kaur Kender describes sex addiction in a middle-aged man, which supported by the need for control leads to a growing succession of acts of violence, torture and murder. Kender has received a criminal charge for his detailed and violent descriptions of sexual intercourse between the man and children. From the literary point of view, Kender uses the language of pornography in its whole richness, yet not with an aim of stimulating the sexual instinct, but rather to criticise…
In his short story „Untitled 12”, ambivalent Estonian author and journalist Kaur Kender describes sex addiction in a middle-aged man, which supported by the need for control leads to a growing succession of acts of violence, torture and murder. Kender has received a criminal charge for his detailed and violent descriptions of sexual intercourse between the man and children. From the literary point of view, Kender uses the language of pornography in its whole richness, yet not with an aim of stimulating the sexual instinct, but rather to criticise…
The crazy idea of etymologising plant names
Keywords: Finnic languages, Baltic loanwords, lexical history
A Baltic etymology is suggested for an Estonian-Finnish root name for seaweed (Est adru, adra etc, Fin haura, hauru, hatru ‘kelp, bladderwrack’). The hypothetical origin of the word is *šandra, continuing in the modern Lithuanian šañdrai pl, šandros pl ‘trash, litter, blades of grass, wash-up left by floods on riverbanks or in flood meadows’. The idea looks impeccable both from a phonetic and semantic point of view.
Lembit Vaba (b. 1945), PhD, Foreign Member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, phorest45@gmail.com
A Baltic etymology is suggested for an Estonian-Finnish root name for seaweed (Est adru, adra etc, Fin haura, hauru, hatru ‘kelp, bladderwrack’). The hypothetical origin of the word is *šandra, continuing in the modern Lithuanian šañdrai pl, šandros pl ‘trash, litter, blades of grass, wash-up left by floods on riverbanks or in flood meadows’. The idea looks impeccable both from a phonetic and semantic point of view.
Lembit Vaba (b. 1945), PhD, Foreign Member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, phorest45@gmail.com
Oskar Loorits and perspectivism
Keywords: perspectivism, animism, Finno-Ugric mythology, cosmology, heteronomy
Perspectivism is a philosophical category that has recently been transposed to cultural anthropology. It is based on a Nietzschean idea that there is no pure reason or absolute spirituality but „only a perspectival seeing, only a perspectival ‘knowing’” (On the Genealogy of Morality, III, 12). Viveiros de Castro has identified perspectivism as a multinaturalism, opposing this concept to the dominant form of multiculturalism: the core of multinaturalism is the idea that „a perspective is not a representation” and „every existent can be thought of as thinking” (Cannibal Metaphysics). Therefore a perspectivist way of thinking…
Perspectivism is a philosophical category that has recently been transposed to cultural anthropology. It is based on a Nietzschean idea that there is no pure reason or absolute spirituality but „only a perspectival seeing, only a perspectival ‘knowing’” (On the Genealogy of Morality, III, 12). Viveiros de Castro has identified perspectivism as a multinaturalism, opposing this concept to the dominant form of multiculturalism: the core of multinaturalism is the idea that „a perspective is not a representation” and „every existent can be thought of as thinking” (Cannibal Metaphysics). Therefore a perspectivist way of thinking…
The competence and use of Estonian as a second language
Keywords: language choice, language shift, census, mixed methods, Russian speakers, Estonia
The programming period of „Development Plan of the Estonian language 2011–2017” will end soon. It is high time for an interim evaluation of the status quo of Estonian but also for setting new strategic targets. Puur et al. (2016) have taken up the task by providing an overview of native languages spoken in Estonia, the competence of Estonian as a second language, and the processes of language shift over the last 25 years. While they might be right that the analytic potential of the census data has not been exhausted yet, this…
The programming period of „Development Plan of the Estonian language 2011–2017” will end soon. It is high time for an interim evaluation of the status quo of Estonian but also for setting new strategic targets. Puur et al. (2016) have taken up the task by providing an overview of native languages spoken in Estonia, the competence of Estonian as a second language, and the processes of language shift over the last 25 years. While they might be right that the analytic potential of the census data has not been exhausted yet, this…