Carpe diem
#time4estonia invites you to seize the day
TÄNA = today
Did you know that today Estonia’s population is 1.3 million from which about 1 million are Estonian-speakers? The oldest records of written Estonian date from the 13th century. Today almost 3000 new titles are published in Estonian language every year, which makes it 2.5 books per inhabitant. According to a recent study, Estonians are the world’s biggest bookworms.
We believe that reading translated authors is a great way to (time) travel and learn about new places and cultures.
Today, we have a pleasure to introduce you to one of the most translated and significant Estonian writers – a profusely erudite Jaan Kaplinski (b. 1941) who has also been engaged in politics and was an active member of Estonian parliament.
In 2016 he was awarded the European Prize for Literature. In his poetry, Kaplinski has often expressed the need to value time: the past and the present, inviting us to make adjustments if necessary.
‘He is a rare mixture of intellect and real simplicity. Very conscious of the places words cannot reach, his poems create a space around them that is intensely good to be in,’ Philip Gross, Poetry Review.
So seize the moment to enjoy the intensely good company of Jaan Kaplinski and his poetry today.
Watch the video
His collection of “Selected poems” published at Bloodaxe Books in 2011
https://www.bloodaxebooks.com/ecs/product/selected-poems-984
Watch the full video: https://vimeo.com/260542334
More about Jaan Kaplinski: http://jaan.kaplinski.com/
#time4estonia is Mon – Fri 4pm Estonian Embassy in London Facebook series where you can discover Estonian artists, writers, musicians, architecture, cities, museums, galleries, nature etc. We will give you a hint of Estonian language (eesti keel [ˈeːsti ˈkeːl]), our humour and Estonian spirit.