In Helsingin Sanomat Sirpa Pääkkönen gives an overview of the literary situation in Estonia, in Estonian literature needs Sofi Oksanen.
(Note that this is a Finnish publication, so it's maybe not so surprising that they focus on Finnish (and Finnish-writing) Purge-author Sofi Oksanen .....)
As in much of the former Soviet Union, independence made for great changes in the local literary market:
Also interesting:
As in much of the former Soviet Union, independence made for great changes in the local literary market:
Novels had large print runs and the appearance of new ones were eagerly-awaited events. In the 1970s, novels by Jaan Kross had editions of between 20,000 and 30,000 copies. More than 1,000 copies of poetry books by Viivi Luik were printed. This is a large number compared with the editions of poetry books today.(Shocking ! light entertainment ! self-help books ! oh, dear !)
After the golden generation, Estonian literature continues to have a connection with society, but since Estonia became independent, the pendulum has swung to the opposite end. With free markets, all kinds of things are run through the printing presses, from light entertainment to self-help books.
Also interesting:
The most frequently-lent author in Estonian libraries is the prolific Eerik Tohvri. Another popular figure is Ira Lember, who wrote children's books in the Soviet period, and who now writes depictions of the everyday life in Estonia. In third place in the library check-out statistics is the late British author Barbara Cartland.