Tooted

Silverwhite is a captivating exploration of the eastern Baltic nations' earliest history and interactions with Mediterranean and Near East peoples. This journey meticulously outlines an answer to the true whereabouts of Thule, the unearthly northernmost land of ancient legend. Although Silverwhite is grounded in classical literature and extensive historical, astronomical and geographical fact, Lennart Meri–foremost a writer and filmmaker–weaves his travelogue with poeticism.

Whereas a professional historian must show caution when using fantasy to patch gaps between facts, a poet is untethered. This epic work can also be read as a thriller: millennia ago, an enormous cosmic rock crashed into the Estonian island of Saaremaa. Through this extraordinary historical event, Meri brings together a curious cast including ancient Greeks, Arabs and Estonians.

All genuinely existed and met, even if their names have been lost to oblivion. When Meri wrote Silverwhite, Estonia was occupied; forced into the restrictions of Soviet Russian colonialism. His work was a balm against that closed-minded and unnatural state, offering the unmistakable message that the world has never been divided into isolated islands of civilisation.

Nations, eternally interconnected, have always shared knowledge and impacted one another in complex ways. Openness is inherent.

In these pages, you will find a little bundle of Estonian folk tales. Some are certainly familiar, others you haven’t yet read or heard.

This is a book for all ages. You will find stories for people big and small, moms and dads, grandparents, teachers, and even… Or rather, each story has something for kids and grown-ups, wives and husbands, beggars and kings, and even…

Piret Päär is a professional storyteller and actress. “Every story that speaks to you is a path to yourself. Without fairy tales, I would’ve been lost in life.”

Katrin Erlich is an illustrator and graphic artist. “I almost never retell the text in my illustrations. Rather, I depict what the characters are thinking and feeling.”

Adam Cullen is a poet and translator of Estonian literature into English. To date, he has translated over a dozen novels, countless poetry, children’s books, and twenty plays. “To me, translation is music and balance—following rhythms and staying faithful to the author and the reader simultaneously.”