The Dedalus Book of Estonian Literature

The Dedalus Book of Estonian Literature, edited by Jan Kaus, translated by Eric Dickens / ISBN 9781903517956 / 303-page paperback, cover art by Juri Arrak

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The Dedalus Book of Estonian 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 and for the many American visitors to Estonia. Estonia is one of the smallest and least populated countries in the European Union. It has a population of about 1.4 million. For most of its history it has been part of its larger neighbours, Sweden and Russia. It regained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. It is really in the nineteenth- century that Estonian Literature develops and a prose tradition established.

This anthology features work by significant authors in this period such as Eduard Vilde and Juhan Liiv and extends to the modern day with contributions from leading contemporary authors such as Peeter Sauter and Eeva Park. Estonia's most famous and widely-translated author is Jaan Kross, who should have become the first Estonian author to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. He is represented in the anthology by Uncle (1990).