The Saviour of Lasnamaee
1st Edition
Published on 11. January 2016
142 pages
978-1-908251-54-1 (ISBN)
Description
Natalya Filippovna may be a middle-aged, single mother and member of the Russian minority in Estonia, but she is content with her simple life. She has a flat, a job at an electronics factory and, most importantly, she has her bright and ambitious teenaged daughter, Sofia. Money is tight, but they make do - that is, until Sofia requires a lengthy, expensive dental procedure and Natalya loses her job. With bills piling up and Sofia's dental procedure only part finished, Natalya reluctantly accepts an undesirable mode of income. As she and Sofia adjust to their changing situations, Natalya falls for a mysterious, kind man, and her life takes yet another unexpected turn.According to one Estonian commentator, Mart Valjataga, "Mari Saat's empathic book marks an important turn in Estonian literature to serious moral issues after decades of postmodernist experimentation. The plight of the Estonian Russians can't be a more topical issue right now in Estonia. But Mari Saat's treatment is far from unequivocal journalistic cliches. This small lyrical book achieves a subtle synthesis of natural and supernatural, quotidian and quietist."
Natalya Filippovna may be a middle-aged, single mother and member of the Russian minority in Estonia, but she is content with her simple life. She has a flat, a job at an electronics factory and, most importantly, she has her bright and ambitious teenaged daughter, Sofia. Money is tight, but they make do - that is, until Sofia requires a lengthy, expensive dental procedure and Natalya loses her job. With bills piling up and Sofia's dental procedure only part finished, Natalya reluctantly accepts an undesirable mode of income. As she and Sofia adjust to their changing situations, Natalya falls for a mysterious, kind man, and her life takes yet another unexpected turn.According to one Estonian commentator, Mart Valjataga, "Mari Saat's empathic book marks an important turn in Estonian literature to serious moral issues after decades of postmodernist experimentation. The plight of the Estonian Russians can't be a more topical issue right now in Estonia. But Mari Saat's treatment is far from unequivocal journalistic cliches. This small lyrical book achieves a subtle synthesis of natural and supernatural, quotidian and quietist."
Natalya Filippovna may be a middle-aged, single mother and member of the Russian minority in Estonia, but she is content with her simple life. She has a flat, a job at an electronics factory and, most importantly, she has her bright and ambitious teenaged daughter, Sofia. Money is tight, but they make do - that is, until Sofia requires a lengthy, expensive dental procedure and Natalya loses her job. With bills piling up and Sofia's dental procedure only part finished, Natalya reluctantly accepts an undesirable mode of income. As she and Sofia adjust to their changing situations, Natalya falls for a mysterious, kind man, and her life takes yet another unexpected turn.According to one Estonian commentator, Mart Valjataga, "Mari Saat's empathic book marks an important turn in Estonian literature to serious moral issues after decades of postmodernist experimentation. The plight of the Estonian Russians can't be a more topical issue right now in Estonia. But Mari Saat's treatment is far from unequivocal journalistic cliches. This small lyrical book achieves a subtle synthesis of natural and supernatural, quotidian and quietist."
Reviews / Votes
"Mari Saat's empathic book marks an important turn in Estonian literature to serious moral issues after decades of postmodernist experimentation. The plight of the Estonian Russians can't be a more topical issue right now in Estonia. But Mari Saat's treatment is far from unequivocal journalistic cliches. This small lyrical book achieves a subtle synthesis of natural and supernatural, quotidian and quietist." -- Maert Vaeljataga, Estonian Literature Centre; "[The Saviour of Lasnamaee] is a book of the modern world in Dostoyevsky's tradition, altogether with its very captivating human empathy and delicacy in disconsolate conditions." - Elle-Mari Talivee, Estonian Literature Centre; "[In The Saviour of Lasnamaee] Mari Saat's prose contains a delicate, yet psychologically loaded questioning of ethics." - Doris Kareva, Transcript"Mari Saat's empathic book marks an important turn in Estonian literature to serious moral issues after decades of postmodernist experimentation. The plight of the Estonian Russians can't be a more topical issue right now in Estonia. But Mari Saat's treatment is far from unequivocal journalistic cliches. This small lyrical book achieves a subtle synthesis of natural and supernatural, quotidian and quietist." -- Maert Vaeljataga, Estonian Literature Centre; "[The Saviour of Lasnamaee] is a book of the modern world in Dostoyevsky's tradition, altogether with its very captivating human empathy and delicacy in disconsolate conditions." - Elle-Mari Talivee, Estonian Literature Centre; "[In The Saviour of Lasnamaee] Mari Saat's prose contains a delicate, yet psychologically loaded questioning of ethics." - Doris Kareva, Transcript
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Mari Saat
The Saviour of Lasnamae
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11/2015
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Persons
Born in Tallinn in 1947, Mari Saat is an Estonian economist and writer who has published four novels plus a number of short story collections, children's books and non-fiction works. She has received many awards since releasing her first collection of short stories (Katastroof) in 1973, including the Estonian Cultural Endowment's Prose Award in 1992, 1999 and 2008 - the latter for The Saviour of Lasnamae. Saat is known for her sharp social analyses and existential explorations. She teaches business ethics at the Tallinn University of Technology.Her books have been translated into several languages, and this book into Russian and Finnish.
Born in Tallinn in 1947, Mari Saat is an Estonian economist and writer who has published four novels plus a number of short story collections, children's books and non-fiction works. She has received many awards since releasing her first collection of short stories (Katastroof) in 1973, including the Estonian Cultural Endowment's Prose Award in 1992, 1999 and 2008 - the latter for The Saviour of Lasnamae. Saat is known for her sharp social analyses and existential explorations. She teaches business ethics at the Tallinn University of Technology.Her books have been translated into several languages, and this book into Russian and Finnish.
Born in Tallinn in 1947, Mari Saat is an Estonian economist and writer who has published four novels plus a number of short story collections, children's books and non-fiction works. She has received many awards since releasing her first collection of short stories (Katastroof) in 1973, including the Estonian Cultural Endowment's Prose Award in 1992, 1999 and 2008 - the latter for The Saviour of Lasnamae. Saat is known for her sharp social analyses and existential explorations. She teaches business ethics at the Tallinn University of Technology.Her books have been translated into several languages, and this book into Russian and Finnish.
