Hvostov: Estonian Society, Literature Head Straight from Infancy to Senility
Estonian literature and society both have refused to grow up, journalist and writer Andrei Hvostov has said.
“Estonian literary life cannot be held apart from certain processes in the wider society. I fear that, just as our society has jumped straight from an infant stage to senility, the same may happen to literature,” Hvostov told ERR radio on Friday.
“That middle phase, of mature adulthood, when a person realizes some of his misfortune comes from his own actions, or lack thereof... I fear that phase might have been skipped,” he said.
He said that books have created a picture of an ideal Estonian, who is wise and principled, and always wins the moral battle. That person is surrounded by an evil and distraught world.
“If we refuse to grow up in literature, then we will be incapable of learning from our mistakes,” Hvostov said.