International literary festival to gather talents in Tartu and Põlva
The literary festival Prima Vista will bring together a plethora of Estonian and foreign writers in Tartu and Põlva in the coming days (May 6–9), with book discussions, lectures, meetings with writers and a book fair set to take place amongst other events.
The theme for this year's program is "The Wild Word", merging concerns of nature and freedom of speech. The themes in focus are closely connected to the works of Estonian writer and semiotician Valdur Mikita, the patron for this year's festival. Mikita's 2013 collection of essays "Lingvistiline mets" ("The Linguistic Forest") explores the mingling of Estonian identity, language, culture and nature, garnering alongside overwhelmingly positive reception an award from the Cultural Endowment of Estonia. In his appeal as patron for the festival, Mikita postulates that "the deeper idea of literature is to create a reserve for people", referring to the festival site Tartu as one such unique natural reserve.
The festival's international speakers include Eduard Uspensky, author of beloved Russian cartoon characters Topple (Cheburashka) and Crocodile Gena, as well as the Leipzig Book Fair prized writer David Wagner from Berlin, who is also slated for an appearance at Tallinn's National Library. The festival's opening night on May 6 will see Russian rock veteran Andrey Makarevich interviewed by prominent music critic Artemy Troitsky as part of an open discussion forum at the Tartu University Library.
Prima Vista traditionally takes place in two Estonian cities, with Põlva chosen as this year's secondary location. Alongside literary events, the festival, now in its 12th year, hosts film screenings, concerts, theater performances, and the open-air Park Library in Tartu's city centre on May 7 and 8.
Editor: A. Kaer