A Place Called Vargamäe
Ten years ago in Estonia, the options for reading Estonian literature translated into English were extremely limited. During that time, I would often wander through bookstores, hoping to stumble upon Estonian literature translated into English, almost as if seeking a miraculous intervention from some ancient, invisible deity of literature. Nowadays, finding Estonian literature in English is much more accessible, although the selection is still narrow. There are a few titles available in bookstores, including poetry by Doris Kareva (1958), modern novels by Viivi Luik (1946), Jaan Kaplinski (1941-2021), Kai Aareleid (1972), Rein Raud (1961), Indrek Hargla (1970), Andrus Kivirähk (1970), August Gailit (1891-1960); even some well-known works by A.H. Tammsaare (1873-1940) and Jaan Kross (1920-2007). Furthermore, regardless of how many years one has spent in Estonia or how proficiently one speaks the language, reading literature in Estonian remains challenging for those whose mother tongue differs from Estonian.
During my early years in Estonia, I often heard from local friends and colleagues that A.H. Tammsaare wrote “The Estonian Novel,” referring to something unique that was very precious for the Estonian identity. They were referring to the pentalogy of “Truth and Justice.” For many years this literary treasure remained unreachable to me and my linguistic possibilities, leaving me with unanswered questions and wondering about its secrets. Perhaps it is ironic that most readers outside Estonia have not heard of A.H. Tammsaare, a huge figure in Estonian literature, and this is simply because he belongs to a smaller language community. Fortunately, we live in an era when publishers started to give importance to the translation of such languages, leading to the recent translation and publication of the first two volumes of the “Truth and justice” pentalogy into English: “Vargamäe” (2019) and “Indrek” (2022), by Vagabond Voices.
A few words on the life of the author of such masterpiece: Anton Hansen Tammsaare was born into a poor farm as the fourth of twelve siblings. Despite the hardships of rural life, he developed a keen interest in literature and writing from a young age. He later attended schools in Tartu and Rakvere, where he further honed his literary skills. His studies were interrupted when he got sick with tuberculosis. In 1918, he moved to Tallinn. In his early career, Tammsaare worked as a teacher and as a journalist while pursuing his passion for writing. His literary production encompassed a variety of genres, including short stories, novels, and plays.
Estonia has suffered continuous foreign domination for almost eight centuries until it finally became independent. The “Truth and Justice” saga was written during the transition of tsarist Estonia to the First Republic. In those tumultuous times, literature served as a means for Estonia to assert its identity and maintain dignity. A key objective of Estonian literature is to showcase the nation’s unique culture and character. It was the Estonian writer Jaan Kross who brought the new theme of moral compromise to the Estonian historical novel, as once pointed out by the poet Jaan Kaplinski.
My reading of “Vargamäe” in 2021 marked a significant step in my quest to understand Estonian culture. I have intermittently lived in the countryside of South Estonia in the last years, and this experience has provided me with a profound connection to nature and rural daily life. My immersion in Estonian rural life enabled me to personally connect and relate to the topics and the matters of the main character of “Vargamäe”, Andres, an Estonian peasant in the period of National Awakening at the end of the 19th century, who buys a rural property named Vargamäe.
Estonians share strong bonds with their land, a connection that A.H. Tammsaare thought worth exploring in his novels. He portrayed the national character of the Estonian individual. Much of the novel’s content can be considered autobiographical; for example, the part when Indrek, the son of Andres of Vargamäe, leaves his home to go to the city to study, just as the writer did when he left his hometown to study law in Tartu.
In “Vargamäe,” Andres wants to drain the marshland to cultivate it, but that is an impossible task. He constantly (and unfavorably) fights against the force of nature, while his neighbor, Pearu, always makes things more difficult for Andres. As the seasons and years go by, Andres encounters several problems related with the construction of his house and certain agricultural activities. Later he loses members of his family, but he also finds new ones. Sometimes the water floods the land, his animals escape, he fights with Pearu, has issues with his wife or the roof needs repair. For inexplicable reasons, he refuses to enjoy life; he only lives to work while his goal in life is that his sons and daughters will continue his legacy. I see this characteristic in many Estonians, and, in fact, it might be something more than just a cultural trait; it might reflect our modern world. I wonder if A.H. Tammsaare imagined that he would be describing the soul of contemporary man, “embedded in his little world when there are so many things out there,” as once the character of Indrek, the son of Andres, points out.
The descriptions of places and scenes in the novel are long and detailed. Nothing along the chapters happens fast. The text is not just a narrative of actions but about finding the meaning between the lines and for analyzing the different characters and the philosophy that the author presents. The great issues of humanity are discussed through the stories of the characters. The characters try to fulfill their own definition of what is truth and what is justice. Topics such as guilt, morality, duty and the clash of the mindset between generations within the same family are portrayed magnificently. As Andres fights against the natural elements, he equally fights the very nature of his eldest son and daughter. He wants to force them to be somebody they can never be, and perhaps this is a force even stronger than the natural one: human will. Indrek has envisioned his destiny; he does not want to become a farmer like his father, he wants to study and leave Vargamäe. On the other hand, his daughter, Liisi, falls in love with the son of the worst enemy of Andres: Pearu.
Some parts of the novel reminded me of “Fathers and Sons” by the Russian writer Turgenev (1818-1883). In “Fathers and Sons” the author portrays very well the abysmal differences in the mindset and opinions that young and old have and how these could be the key to breaking a family bond if pushed enough; A.H Tammsaare explores this humanistic aspect, too.
Dostoevsky’s (1821-1881) influence on A.H. Tammsaare is evident in the exposure of moral dilemmas, particularly showing the differences between the city middle-class and hardworking farmers, for example, in “Vargamäe”. In “Indrek”, one of the proposed dilemmas is how a person might abandon his moral beliefs for the sake of happiness. While “Vargamäe” offers a realistic portrayal of its time, “Indrek” delves into situations that may seem less realistic.
The reading of “Vargamäe” can be an experience similar to attending the Estonian Open-Air Museum and imagining how it comes alive. The reader gets a strong taste and a clear picture of how the farmer’s life in Estonia used to be. The second part of the saga, “Indrek”, focuses on the life of Indrek once he has left his home.
A curious fact about “Truth and Justice” is that A.H. Tammsaare never put a name on the pentalogy; the publishers were the ones who named the novels, perhaps for didactic purposes. I like to think of a novel as a collection of short stories. Take, for example, the greatest novel ever written in Spanish: “Don Quixote” by Miguel Cervantes de Saavedra (1547-1616). Its richness lies in how the author managed to include short stories within the main plot to give that punch that lifts the novel and bound it as one whole. This quality exists in “Truth and Justice”, too. A.H. Tammsaare can have different stories unfolding, quietly and discreetly, at the same time, and somehow the reader transits through them calmly as the main story unfolds. Jaan Kross, in his “Between the Three Plagues,” managed to master this craft as well. The art of portraying short stories as the center of a universe for a novel was also well known by Gabriel García Márquez (1927-2014), the Colombian Nobel prize writer. As a short story writer and novelist, myself, I tend to look for the stories embedded within novels. If we pay enough attention and read novels of good writers, we will find them. A beautiful but perhaps an extreme example of this is reflected in a novel by the Peruvian Nobel prize awarded author, Mario Vargas Llosa (1936) (who, by the way, published his last novel in 2023 while he announced he retires from literature). In his novel “Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter” (1977), a young man falls in love with his aunt, but surrounding this main comic plot, there are short stories that have nothing to do with the storyline. Those short stories never really connect with the main plot. Their appearances happen apparently in a random way, and their only connection with the main plot is that they were written (supposedly) by one of the characters. Later, those short stories connect with each other in funny ways. For Vargas Llosa, the short stories within a novel are as important as the main plot, and that is remarkable. Another well-known and modern writer who has achieved a beautiful command of the usage of short stories embedded in her novels is Margaret Atwood (1968).
To close this book review piece, it is worth mentioning that it was Jaan Kross who once wrote that literature is not defined only by the literature classics and bestsellers of the largest nations. The literature of smaller countries plays a role, and often a more important role than is generally recognized. Furthermore, the literary efforts of even the tiniest nations are essential in the context of the great composition of literature, as they contribute and become indispensable. Reading “Truth and Justice” makes Estonian literary history more accessible, especially when it’s not well-known outside Estonia. It is important for understanding its fundamental values and point of view. Unfortunately, volumes III-V have not yet been translated and published in English. Critics say that volume III is the least read of all and perhaps also the least understood because of its high philosophical content. As I eagerly await future translations, I’m reminded of A.H. Tammsaare’s immortal words: “A book will save many a moment from disappearing into eternity.”
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Written by Stephanie Rendón
This book review was published in Aksolotl Literary Magazine #2, 2024, ISSN 2806-3465
See availability of “Vargamäe. Volume I of Truth and Justice Pentalogy” in e-catalogue ESTER and
“Indrek. Volume II of Truth and Justice Pentalogy” in e-catalogue ESTER
