Estonian Literary Magazine Spring 2017 Nº44 MORE INFORMATION SOURCES: ESTONIAN WRITERS’ UNION Eesti Kirjanike Liit Estnischer Schriftstellerverband Harju 1, 10146 Tallinn, Estonia Phone: +372 6 276 410, +372 6 276 411 [email protected] www.ekl.ee TARTU BRANCH OF ESTONIAN WRITERS’ UNION Vanemuise 19, 51014 Tartu, Estonia Phone: +372 7 341 073 [email protected] ESTONIAN LITERATURE CENTRE Eesti Kirjanduse Teabekeskus Sulevimägi 2-5 10123 Tallinn, Estonia www.estlit.ee The current issue of ELM was supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia © 2017 by the Estonian Institute; Suur-Karja 14, 10140 Tallinn, Estonia; ISSN 1406-0345 [email protected] · www.estinst.ee · phone: +372 631 4355 Editorial Board: Peeter Helme, Ilvi Liive, Piret Viires Editor: Jan Kaus · Translator: Adam Cullen · Language editor: Richard Adang Layout: Kristjan Mändmaa On the Cover: Paavo Matsin, Photo by Priit Mürk / Müürileht Estonian Literary Magazine is included in the EBSCO Literary Reference Center ESTONIAN LITERARY MAGAZINE · SPRING 2017 Contents 2 Paavo Matsin’s performances by Jan Kaus 12 The Gogol Disco by Paavo Matsin 16 Indrek Koff – intuitively in-between modes of expression 24 Stories of a Hundred Nations by Indrek Koff 28 Six Estonian short story writers throughout time. A personal insight by Mait Vaik 34 Five snow whites and not a single prince by Carolina Pihelgas 39 Poems by Sveta Grigorjeva, Helena Läks, Kelly Turk, Silvia Urgas and Eda Ahi 44 Nikolai Baturin: a celebrated stranger by Berk Vaher 50 The Estonian Circumciser by Mihkel Mutt 56 Book reviews by Peeter Helme and Jürgen Rooste 1 Paavo Matsin’s performances by Jan Kaus I last saw Paavo Matsin (1970) at a museum Estonian comics series of all time, the that honors the Estonian literary classic author of which was the caricaturist Olimar Eduard Vilde, where we were both scheduled Kallas (1929–2006). It was not a “series” in to speak. We chatted shortly before taking the Western sense, as Kallas published only the stage, and I suddenly noticed the tattoos eight of his “Kiviküla” (“Stone Village”) on Paavo’s hands, tattoos I didn’t remember comics. The first book in the “Stone Village” him having before. One caricature stood series, 3 Stories, was published in 1979 – out most: a barrel-shaped man wearing a back when both Paavo and I were children. striped shirt and checkered pants with sus- Kallas can be regarded as a cult author, and penders, an impressive shock of curly hair it isn’t hard to determine why his fan base sprouting from his forehead, crowned by includes so many contemporary writers: a miniature cap. Coming from the figure’s the “Stone Village” comics were not merely mouth was a speech bubble containing the well-drawn, but also skillfully worded. I famous words: “Adjöö, musjöö!” 1 know more Kallas quotes by heart than I do those of Estonia’s literary classics. Oh, what I recognized Ponchik immediately! Ponchik joy it is to cite the Count when another char- and Babyface: legendary “bad boys”, led by acter angrily asks him: “Are you a chunk of the infamous Count. True, the Count later ice or a person?” “Neither, unfortunately – became a law-abiding businessman, while I’m the Count!” Ponchik and Babyface unfortunately stayed true to their criminal habits, and received But why discuss this here at such length? the punishment they deserved. I should be speaking of Paavo Matsin, not Olimar Kallas, and I should be addressing To explain, for those entirely confused by Matsin’s writing, not his tattoos. However, the above: Ponchik, Babyface, and the Count the Ponchik tattoo on Matsin’s arm speaks were characters in one of the most-loved worlds not only about his personality, but also about his creative works. Not every 1 “Adieu, monsieur!” – Translator man has a marginal literary character 2 ESTONIAN LITERARY MAGAZINE · SPRING 2017 3 PAAVO MATSIN · PHOTO BY PRIIT MÜRK / MÜÜRILEHT · PHOTO BY MARGUS ANSU / SCANPIX BY PHOTO LIVIENSIS FRATERNITAS CORPORATION OF ARMS STUDENT OF THE COAT BLESSING TOOMING AND ANTS MATSIN PAAVO BY etched into his skin, and this was not only at the Eduard Vilde Museum. We had been a conscious act, but part of an agenda. First invited to interpret one of Vilde’s most well- of all, one can’t deny that Matsin himself known novels, The Milkman of Mäeküla somewhat resembles Ponchik in appear- (Mäeküla piimamees, 1916), which is ance. Similarly, the “bad boy” metaphor regarded as a cornerstone of Estonian psy- certainly applies to him in the context of chological realism. Matsin began by saying Estonian literature. Matsin’s literary suc- that he finds realism boring. He was the cess is at least partially due to the fact that only speaker who refused the museum’s he stays voluntarily at the margins. He is an request to give an interpretation of the author who disregards the rules and tells classic’s work. Instead, Matsin told color- them “Adieu, monsieur!”, and much more ful tales about when he himself worked successfully than Ponchik. at the Vilde Museum. They sounded both credible and incredible, once again prov- There is another factor. It is often difficult ing to me that Matsin lives a style in which to determine where Matsin’s everyday life the transition from reality to imaginary is ends and where literature begins, at what neither abrupt nor unambiguous. Life can point the fireworks of fantasy will burst out be more vivid than fantasy, and thus life above the ordinary. His transitions from itself can be told as fantasy. At the same one to the other are fluid. Life transforms time, a good fantasy can revivify life: – into theater in Matsin’s hands, even without take for example the early years of Matsin’ the scenery. He proved this well that time literary activity. The author was a member 4 ESTONIAN LITERARY MAGAZINE · SPRING 2017 of the avant-garde literary group 14NÜ, The Marianne “case” remains indicative of which released outlandish publications, Matsin’s works, although the author has including their “strip books”, which exper- now shifted away from his somewhat rowdy imented with the limits and opportunities genre games and come significantly closer for expression offered by both books and to traditional forms of written expression. language. 14NÜ was a motley crew: in addi- I miss 14NÜ's unusual book presenta- tion to Matsin, it included the internation- tions, for one thing. At the presentation of ally renowned animated film director Mait Matsin’s experimental work Aabits (ABCs, Laas, and Maarja Vaino, who is now the 2000), for instance, a gymnast wearing a director of the A. H. Tammsaare Museum. white unitard performed various exercises Also in its ranks was a long-dead author: while a Catholic prayer was read. It was Johannes Üksi (1891–1937), a marginal not a presentation, but something much poet of the early 20th century. But possibly broader: the event gave literature a per- the most interesting member of 14NÜ was formative dimension, transforming it into a Marianne Ravi. To this day, I am unsure surrealist effort of sweat and strained mus- whether Ravi is a real person or a phan- cles. It was the most theatrical presenta- tom from the brains of Matsin & Co; still, tion I’ve ever seen, a performance whose she was credited as authoring one of the participants were anything but ordinary. group’s “strip books”. When I hypothesized Marianne Ravi and her little tufts of clouds in an essay that Ravi is a figment of the can also be regarded as participants in an imagination, Matsin and Laas tried with all absurd, stimulating performance staged by their might to prove to me that she exists. Matsin himself. It turned out that Marianne Ravi works at an Italian television station. I was given a Perhaps it would be useful to characterize videocassette to watch. What I viewed was, everything Matsin does as performances, to put it mildly, a clip of a bizarre weather including his novels. Matsin’s book covers forecast. Standing next to a map of Italy was are stage curtains, behind which words a stunningly gorgeous nude blonde woman, and motifs create a mise en scène that whose vagina, belly, and nipples were would do honor to even the most avant- covered by a sun and various clouds. As a garde Theater of the Absurd. His books are vivacious voice reported the weather, the performances of perception punctuated by woman started removing the clouds and sun the dented trumpets of forgotten rituals, from her body, one by one, and attaching mysterious hand organs, and rat-catch- them to the map. That weather girl wearing ers’ pipes. Matsin is ideally suited to be a brilliant smile was apparently Marianne the director of a magical theater, behind a Ravi. Additionally, I was sent a photograph mirror or around a dark corner, one that is of a young woman seated between Matsin both cozy and labyrinthine. His perform- and Laas at a café, giggling into a glass of ers could include breathing mummies and juice. Written in Italian on the back of the a disintegrating God, like in the peculiar picture was: “To my dear Jan. Marianne.” house in Ingmar Bergman’s film Fanny and Despite all this evidence (or thanks to it), I Alexander. Matsin’s works are an orches- like to think that Marianne Ravi really was trated spree of free-form associations. imagined by Paavo Matsin and Mait Laas. 5 LAUNCH OF DOCTOR SCHWARZ IN TALLINN WITH AN ALCHEMIC CEREMONY · PHOTO BY OLAVI HEINLO 6 ESTONIAN LITERARY MAGAZINE · SPRING 2017 But what is the source of these free-form 'traditional' story-, character-, and plot- associations? The title of Matsin’s first novel based literary perception; one that spot- is explanation enough: Doctor Schwarz.