Estonian Literary Classic to Be Finally Published in English
The first book of one of the most influential works of Estonian literature, Anton Hansen Tammsaare's “Truth and Justice,” will soon be published in English, 87 years after its release and five years after translation was completed.
The first edition will only see 500 leather-bound copies published, with the profits going to the distribution of free e-versions, estonianworld.com said at the end of December.
The task has been picked up by Swedish-based Haute Culture Books, run by Estophile French-Portuguese novelist Luis de Miranda, after Estonian literary organizations had searched for a publisher for years.
“Andres and Pearu,” the first volume of five of the “Truth and Justice” series, was translated into English by Inna and Alan Feldbach, who worked on the translation over five years.
The pentalogy captures the transition of Estonia from tsarist rule to an independent state, with the first volume centering on the peasantry at the end of the 19th century.
The publisher plans to translate and release the rest of the volumes by 2018, to commemorate the 140th anniversary of the birth of Tammsaare.