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Jaan Kross (19 February 1920 – 27 December 2007) was an
Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also * ...
writer. He won the 1995 International Nonino Prize in Italy.


Early life

Born in
Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...
,
Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, an ...
, son of a skilled metal-worker, Jaan Kross studied at Jakob Westholm Gymnasium, and attended the
University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; et, Tartu Ülikool; la, Universitas Tartuensis) is a university in the city of Tartu in Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is the only classical university in the country, and also its biggest ...
(1938–1945) and graduated from its School of Law. He taught there as a lecturer until 1946, and again as Professor of ''Artes Liberales'' in 1998. In 1940, when Kross was 20, the Soviet Union invaded and occupied the three Baltic countries: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania; imprisoned and executed most of their governments. In 1941,
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
invaded and took over the country. Kross was first arrested by the
Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...
for six months in 1944 during the German occupation of Estonia (1941–1944), suspected of what was termed "nationalism", i.e., promoting Estonian independence. Then, on 5 January 1946, when Estonia had been reconquered by the Soviet Union, he was arrested by the Soviet occupation authorities who kept him a short while in the cellar of the local
NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (russian: Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел, Naródnyy komissariát vnútrennikh del, ), abbreviated NKVD ( ), was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union. ...
headquarters, then kept him in prison in Tallinn, finally in October 1947, deporting him to a
Gulag The Gulag, an acronym for , , "chief administration of the camps". The original name given to the system of camps controlled by the State Political Directorate, GPU was the Main Administration of Corrective Labor Camps (, )., name=, group= ...
camp in
Vorkuta Vorkuta (russian: Воркута́; kv, Вӧркута, ''Vörkuta''; Nenets for "the abundance of bears", "bear corner") is a coal-mining town in the Komi Republic, Russia, situated just north of the Arctic Circle in the Pechora coal basin ...
, Russia. He spent a total of eight years in this part of North Russia, six working in the mines at the labour camp in
Inta Inta (russian: Инта́, kv, Инта) is a town in the Komi Republic, Russia. Population: History Inta was founded circa 1940 as a settlement to support a geological expedition to explore coal deposits and projecting of mines. The city's ...
, then doing easier jobs, plus two years still living as a deportee, but not in a labour camp. Upon his return to Estonia in 1954 he became a professional writer, not least because his law studies during Estonian independence were now of no value whatsoever, as Soviet law held sway. At first Kross wrote poetry, alluding to a number of contemporary phenomena under the guise of writing about historical figures. But he soon moved to writing prose, a genre that was to become his principal one.


Career as a writer


Recognition and translation

Kross was by far the most translated and nationally and internationally best-known Estonian writer. He was nominated several times for the
Nobel Prize in Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...
during the early 1990s. He received the honorary title of People's Writer of the Estonian SSR (1985) and the
State Prize of the Estonian SSR The State Prizes of the Soviet Republics were each republic counterpart to the USSR State Prize. Each republic granted several different prizes, generally named after writers or artists from the republic, as well as a blanket Komsomol prize for you ...
(1977). He also held several honorary doctorates and international decorations, including the highest Estonian order and one of the highest German orders. In 1999 he was awarded the Baltic Assembly Prize for Literature. In 1990 Kross won the
Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and s ...
Golden Flame Prize Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall * Golden Cap, Dorset * Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucester ...
. He won the 1995 International Nonino Prize in Italy. He was reportedly nominated several times for the
Nobel Prize in Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...
during the early 1990s. Because of Kross' status and visibility as a leading Estonian author, his works have been translated into many languages, but mostly into Finnish, Swedish, Russian, German, and Latvian. This is on account of geographical proximity but also a common history (for example, Estonia was a Swedish colony in the 17th century and German was the language of the upper échelons of Estonian society for hundreds of years). As can be seen from the list below by the year 2015 there are five books of Kross' works that have been published in English translation with publishing houses in the United States and UK. But a number of shorter novels, novellas, and short-stories were published during Soviet rule (i.e. 1944–1991) in English translation and published in the Soviet Union. Translations have mostly been from the
Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also * ...
original. Sometimes translations were however done, during Soviet times by first being translated into Russian and then from Russian into English, not infrequently by native-speakers of Russian or Estonian. Nowadays, Kross' works are translated into English either directly from the Estonian, or via the Finnish version. A reasonably complete list of translations of works by Jaan Kross into languages other than English can found on the ELIC website. Kross knew the German language from quite an early age as friends of the family spoke it as their mother-tongue, and Kross' mother had a good command of it. His Russian, however, was mainly learnt while working as a slave labourer in the Gulag. But he also had some knowledge of Swedish and translated one crime novel by Christian Steen (pseudonym of the exile Estonian novelist
Karl Ristikivi Karl Ristikivi (; in Pärnumaa, Saulepi Parish, Lääne County (now Kilgi, Varbla Parish, Pärnu County) – 19 July 1977 in Solna, Stockholm) was an Estonian writer. He is among the best Estonian writers for his historical novels. Early lif ...
) from that Swedish. He also translated works by
Pierre-Jean de Béranger Pierre-Jean de Béranger (19 August 178016 July 1857) was a prolific French poet and chansonnier (songwriter), who enjoyed great popularity and influence in France during his lifetime, but faded into obscurity in the decades following his death. ...
, Honoré de Balzac, and
Paul Éluard Paul Éluard (), born Eugène Émile Paul Grindel (; 14 December 1895 – 18 November 1952), was a French poet and one of the founders of the Surrealist movement. In 1916, he chose the name Paul Éluard, a matronymic borrowed from his maternal ...
from French,
Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...
and Rolf Hochhuth from German,
Ivan Goncharov Ivan Alexandrovich Goncharov (, also ; rus, Ива́н Алекса́ндрович Гончаро́в, r=Iván Aleksándrovich Goncharóv, p=ɪˈvan ɐlʲɪkˈsandrəvʲɪdʑ ɡənʲtɕɪˈrof; – ) was a Russian novelist best known for his ...
and David Samoilov from Russian, and ''Alice in Wonderland'', ''Macbeth'' and ''Othello'' from English.


Content and style

Kross' novels and short stories are almost universally historical; indeed, he is often credited with a significant rejuvenation of the
genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other f ...
of the historical novel. Most of his works take place in Estonia and deal, usually, with the relationship of Estonians and Baltic Germans and
Russians , native_name_lang = ru , image = , caption = , population = , popplace = 118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 '' Winkler Prins'' estimate) , region1 = , pop1 ...
. Very often, Kross' description of the historical struggle of the Estonians against the Baltic Germans is a
metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wi ...
for the contemporary struggle against the Soviet occupation. However, Kross' acclaim internationally (and nationally even after the regaining of Estonian independence) show that his novels also deal with topics beyond such concerns; rather, they deal with questions of mixed identities, loyalty, and belonging. Generally, '' The Czar's Madman'' has been considered Kross' best novel; it is also the most translated one. Also well-translated is ''
Professor Martens' Departure ''Professor Martens' Departure'' is a 1984 historical novel set in czarist Russia by Estonian writer Jaan Kross. Plot summary Friedrich Fromhold Martens, born in Pärnu, Estonia on 27 August 1845, was a renowned expert in international law. H ...
'', which because of its subject matter (academics, expertise, and national loyalty) is very popular in academe and an important "professorial novel". The later novel ''Excavations'', set in the mid-1950s, deals with the '' thaw'' period after Stalin's death as well as with the Danish conquest of Estonia in the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
, and today considered by several critics as his finest, has not been translated into English yet; it is however available in German. Within the framework of the historical novel, Kross' novels can be divided up into two types: truly historical ones, and more contemporary narratives with an element of autobiography. In the list below, the historical ones, often set in previous centuries, include the ''Between Three Plagues'' tetralogy, set in the 16th century, ''A Rakvere Novel / Romance'' set in the 18th (the title is ambiguous), ''The Czar's Madman'' set in the 19th century, ''Professor Martens' Departure'' set at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, and ''Elusiveness / Evasion'' set around 1918. The semi-autobiographical novels include Kross' novel about the ultimate fates of his schoolmates, i.e. ''The Wikman Boys'' (Wikman being based on his alma mater the Westholm Grammar School – both names are of Swedish origin) a similar sort of novel about his university chums, ''Mesmer's Circle / Ring''; the novel ''Excavations'' which describes Kross' alter ego Peeter Mirk and his adventures with archaeology, conformism, revolt, compromise and skulduggery after he has returned from the Siberian labour camps and internal exile out there. And also the novel that has appeared in English translation entitled ''Treading Air'', and most of his short-stories belong to this subgenre. A stylistic leitmotif in Kross' novels is the use of the internal (or inner) monologue, usually when the protagonist is trying to think his way out of a thorny problem. The reader will note that every protagonist or narrator, from Timotheus von Bock in ''The Czar's Madman'' to Kross' two alter egos, Jaak Sirkel and Peeter Mirk in the semi-autobiographical novels, indulges in this. And especially Bernhard Schmidt, the luckless telescope inventor, in the novel that appeared in English as ''Sailing Against the Wind'' (2012). Another common feature of Kross novels is a comparison, sometimes overt but usually covert, between various historical epochs and the present day, which for much of Kross' writing life consisted of Soviet reality, including censorship, an inability to travel freely abroad, a dearth of consumer goods, the ever-watchful eye of the KGB and informers, etc. Kross was always very skilful at always remaining just within the bounds of what the Soviet authorities could accept. Kross also enjoyed playing with the identities of people who have the same, or nearly the same, name. This occurs in ''Professor Martens' Departure'' where two different Martens-figures are discussed, legal experts who lived several decades apart, and in ''Sailing Against the Wind'' where in one dream sequence the protagonist Bernhard Schmidt meets a number of others named Schmidt. When Kross was already in his late 70s he gave a series of lectures at Tartu University explaining certain aspects of his novels, not least the
roman à clef ''Roman à clef'' (, anglicised as ), French for ''novel with a key'', is a novel about real-life events that is overlaid with a façade of fiction. The fictitious names in the novel represent real people, and the "key" is the relationship be ...
dimension, given the fact that quite a few of his characters are based on real-life people, both in the truly historical novels and the semi-autobiographical ones. These lectures are collected in a book entitled ''Omaeluloolisus ja alltekst'' (Autobiographism and Subtext) which appeared in 2003. During the last twenty years of his life, Jaan Kross occupied some of his time with writing his memoirs (entitled ''Kallid kaasteelised'', i.e. ''Dear Co-Travellers'' – this translation of the title avoids the unfortunate connotation of the expression ''fellow-travellers''). These two volumes ended up with a total of 1,200 pages, including quite a few photographs from his life. His life started quietly enough, but after describing quite innocuous things such as the summer house during his childhood and his schooldays, Kross moves on to the first Soviet occupation of Estonia, his successful attempt to avoid being drafted for the
Waffen-SS The (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscripts from both occup ...
during the Nazi German occupation, and a long section covering his experiences of prison and the labour camps. The last part describes his return from the camps and his attempts at authorship. The second volume continues from when he moved into the flat in central Tallinn where he lived for the rest of his life, plus his growing success as a writer. There is also a section covering his one-year term as Member of
Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
after renewed independence, and his trips abroad with his wife.


Synopses


Short synopses of works available in English translation

Five books by Jaan Kross have been published in English translation, four novels and one collection of stories: The English translations appeared in the following order: '' The Czar's Madman'' 1992; ''
Professor Martens' Departure ''Professor Martens' Departure'' is a 1984 historical novel set in czarist Russia by Estonian writer Jaan Kross. Plot summary Friedrich Fromhold Martens, born in Pärnu, Estonia on 27 August 1845, was a renowned expert in international law. H ...
'' 1994; '' The Conspiracy and Other Stories'' 1995; ''
Treading Air ''Treading Air'' (orig. Estonian ''Paigallend'') is Jaan Kross' thirteenth novel. He tells the story of the generation of Estonians with which he grew up. The unhealed wounds of recent Estonian history has been to the fore in Kross' short storie ...
'' 2003; '' Sailing Against the Wind'' 2012. Descriptions of the above books can also be found on various websites and online bookshops. The protagonists of the first three books listed here are based on real-life figures. The Czar's Madman (Estonian: ''Keisri hull'', 1978; English: 1994; translator: Anselm Hollo). This tragic novel is based on the life of a Baltic-German nobleman, Timotheus von Bock (1787–1836), who was an adjutant to the relatively liberal Czar of Russia, Alexander I. Von Bock wishes to interest the Czar in the idea of liberating the serfs, i.e. the peasant classes, people who were bought and sold almost like slaves by rich landowners. But this is too much for the Czar and in 1818 von Bock is arrested and kept, at the Czar's pleasure, in a prison in Schlüsselburg. Von Bock is released when the next Czar ascends the throne, but by that time he is having mental problems during his last years under house arrest. This is regarded as Kross most accomplished novel, along with the ''Between Three Plagues'' tetralogy (see below). Professor Martens' Departure (Estonian: ''Professor Martensi ärasõit'', 1984; English: 1994; translator: Anselm Hollo). In early June 1909 the ethnic Estonian professor, Friedrich Fromhold Martens (1845–1909) gets on the train in Pärnu heading for the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Empire in the capital, Saint Petersburg. During the journey he thinks back over the events and episodes of his life. Should he have made a career working for the Russian administration as a compiler of treaties at the expense of his Estonian identity? He also muses on his namesake, a man worked on a similar project in earlier decades. A novel that examines the compromises involved when making a career in an empire when coming from a humble background. Sailing Against the Wind (Estonian: ''Vastutuulelaev'', 1987; English: 2012; translator: Eric Dickens). This novel is about the ethnic Estonian Bernhard Schmidt (1879–1935) from the island of Naissaar who loses his right hand in a firework accident during his teenage years. He nevertheless uses his remaining hand to work wonders when polishing high-quality lenses and mirrors for astronomical telescopes. Later on, when living in what had become Nazi Germany, he himself invents large stellar telescopes that are still to be found at, for instance, the
Mount Palomar Observatory Palomar Observatory is an astronomical research observatory in San Diego County, California, United States, in the Palomar Mountain Range. It is owned and operated by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Research time at the observat ...
in California and on the island of
Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bale ...
. Schmidt has to wrestle with his conscience when living in Germany as the country is re-arming and telescopes could be put to military use. But because Germany was the leading technical nation at the time, he feels reasonably comfortable there, first in the run-down small town of Mittweida, then at the main
Bergedorf Observatory Hamburg Observatory (german: Hamburger Sternwarte) is an astronomical observatory located in the Bergedorf borough of the city of Hamburg in northern Germany. It is owned and operated by the University of Hamburg, Germany since 1968, although it ...
just outside Hamburg. But the rise of the Nazis is literally driving him mad. The Conspiracy and Other Stories (Estonian: ''Silmade avamise päev'', 1988 – most of the stories there; English: 1995; translator: Eric Dickens). This collection contains six semi-autobiographical stories mostly dealing with Jaan Kross' life during the Nazi-German and Soviet-Russian occupations of Estonia, and his own imprisonment during those two epochs. The stories, some of which have appeared elsewhere in this translation, are. ''The Wound'', ''Lead Piping'', ''The Stahl Grammar'', ''The Conspiracy'', ''The Ashtray'', and ''The Day Eyes Were Opened''. In all of them there is a tragi-comic aspect. Treading Air (Estonian: ''Paigallend'', 1998; English: 2003; translator: Eric Dickens). The protagonist of this novel is Ullo Paerand, a restless young man of many talents. He attends a prestigious private school, but when his speculator father abandons him and his mother the money runs out. He then helps his mother run a laundry to make ends meet. He works his way up, ultimately becoming a messenger boy for the Estonian Prime-Minister's office. He is even offered a chance to escape abroad by going to study at the Vatican, but stays in Estonia. This semi-autobiographical novel is set against the background of a very stormy epoch in the history of Estonia, from when the Soviets occupy the country in 1940, the German occupation the next year, the notorious bombing of central Tallinn by the Soviet airforce on 9 March 1944, and a further thirty years of life in the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic. Between Three Plagues (''
Kolme katku vahel '' Kolme katku vahel'' is a novel by the Estonian author Jaan Kross. It was first published in 1970. The main character of the historical novel is Balthasar Russow Balthasar Russow (1536–1600) was one of the most important Livonian and Esto ...
'', four volumes 1970–1980; English: three volumes 2016–2018; translator: Merike Lepasaar Beecher) This is Kross' first major work and his largest in volume. The idea started out as a filmscript, which was shelved, then became a TV serial, and finally the four-volume suite of novels which is one of Kross' most famous works. It is set in the 16th century, especially the middle, before and during the Livonian War which lasted, on and off, from the 1550s to the early 1580s.
Livonia Livonia ( liv, Līvõmō, et, Liivimaa, fi, Liivinmaa, German and Scandinavian languages: ', archaic German: ''Liefland'', nl, Lijfland, Latvian and lt, Livonija, pl, Inflanty, archaic English: ''Livland'', ''Liwlandia''; russian: Ли ...
included parts of what are now Estonia and
Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
, and was by the 1550s split up into several parts ruled by Denmark, Sweden, Russia and Poland-Lithuania. The protagonist is, as is often the case with Kross, a real-life figure called Balthasar Russow (c 1536–1600), who wrote the Livonian Chronicle. The chronicle describes the political horse-trading between the various countries and churches of the day. The Estonians, mostly of peasant stock in those days, always ended up as piggy in the middle. There were also three outbreaks of the bubonic plague to contend with. Russow was the humble son of a peasant, but became a German-speaking clergyman, which was a big step up in society. The fact that he could read, let alone write a chronicle, was unusual. The tetralogy starts with a famous scene where the then ten-year-old Balthasar watches some tightrope walkers in Tallinn, a metaphor for his own diplomatic tightrope walking later in life. He appears as something of a rough diamond throughout the books. The entire tetralogy has been translated into Dutch, Finnish, German, Latvian and Russian, and is being translated into English.


Short synopses of works not yet available in English

The majority of Kross novels remain untranslated into English. These are as follows: Under
Clio In Greek mythology, Clio ( , ; el, Κλειώ), also spelled Kleio, is the muse of history, or in a few mythological accounts, the muse of lyre playing. Etymology Clio's name is etymologically derived from the Greek root κλέω/κλε ...
's Gaze (''Klio silma all''; 1972) This slim volume contains four novellas. The first deals with
Michael Sittow Michael Sittow ( 1469 – 1525), also known as Master Michiel, Michel Sittow, Michiel, Miguel, and several other variants, was a painter from Reval (Tallinn), Estonia who was trained in the tradition of Early Netherlandish painting. For most of ...
, a painter who has been working at the court of Spain but now wants to join the painters' guild in Tallinn which is as good as a closed shop (''Four Monologues on the Subject of
Saint George Saint George ( Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldie ...
''). The second story tells of an ethnic Estonian Michelson who will now be knighted by the
Czar Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the t ...
as he has been instrumental in putting down a rebellion in Russia; this is the story of his pangs of conscience, but also how he brings his peasant parents to the ceremony to show his origins (''Michelson's Matriculation'') The third story is set in around 1824, and about the collator of Estonian folk literature Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald who, after passing his exams, does not want to become a theologian but wants to study military medicine in Saint Petersburg, then the capital of the Russian Empire; meanwhile, he meets a peasant who can tell him about the Estonian epic hero Kalev, here of the epic '' Kalevipoeg'' (''Two Lost Sheets of Paper''). The final story is set in the 1860s, when a national consciousness was awakening in Estonia and the newspaper editor
Johann Voldemar Jannsen Johann Voldemar Jannsen ( in Vändra, Kreis Pernau, Livonia, Russian Empire – , in Tartu) was an Estonian journalist and poet active in Livonia. He wrote the words of the patriotic song "Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm", which later became t ...
starts an Estonian-language newspaper with his daughter Lydia Koidula and founds the
Estonian Song Festival The Estonian Song Festival (in Estonian: ''laulupidu'', ) is one of the largest choral events in the world, a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. It is held every five years in July on the Tallinn Song Festival Gr ...
(''A While in a Swivel Chair''). The Third Range of Hills (''Kolmandad mäed''; 1974) This short novel tells the story of the ethnic Estonian painter
Johann Köler Johann Köler (8 March 1826 – 22 April 1899) was a leader of the Estonian national awakening and a painter. He is considered as the first professional painter of the emerging nation. He distinguished himself primarily by his portraiture and to ...
(1826–1899) who had become a famous portrait-painter at the Russian court in
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
. He is now, in 1879, painting a fresco for a church in
Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...
, the capital of Estonia. As model for his Christ he picks out an Estonian peasant from the island of Hiiumaa. Later it transpires that the man he used as model was a sadistic criminal, and this is held against Köler by his Baltic-German overlords. A Rakvere Novel (''Rakvere romaan''; 1982) The novel is set in the year 1764. The young Berend Falck is taken on by the Baroness Gertrude von Tisenhausen. Falck is an ethnic Estonian, von Tisenhausen a Baltic-German.
Rakvere Rakvere is a town in northern Estonia and the administrative centre of the Lääne-Viru '' maakond'' (county), 20 km south of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. Rakvere is the 8th most populous urban area in Estonia. Rakvere has a tota ...
(Wesenberg, in German) is an Estonian provincial town and in those days the baroness dominated. Falck soon gets involved in the struggle between the townspeople and the baroness. And as he has been employed by her, he is initially obliged to take her side. But as she begins to confiscate land, he grows disillusioned with her. The townspeople, for their part, attempt to reclaim the rights that they had had earlier under Swedish colonial rule, decades before. Sweden lost Estonia to Russia around 1710, so in the epoch in which this novel is set, Rakvere and indeed Estonia are part of the Russian Empire, despite the fact that this local dispute is between the German-speaking baronial classes and Estonian-speaking peasants. A panoramic novel of divided loyalties and corruption. The Wikman Boys (''Wikmani poisid''; 1988) Jaan Kross' alter ego Jaak Sirkel will soon matriculate from school in the mid-1930s. Young people eagerly go to the cinema in their free time; at school they have the usual sprinkling of eccentric teachers. Europe is gradually moving towards war, and this overshadows the lives of the young people. After the war has reached Estonia, some of Sirkel's schoolmates end up in the Soviet Army, and others fighting in the Nazi German military – the tragedy of a small country fought over by two superpowers. In the devastating
Battle of Velikiye Luki The Battle of Velikiye Luki, also named Velikiye Luki offensive operation (russian: Великолукская наступательная операция), started with the attack by the forces of the Red Army's Kalinin Front against the W ...
, not far from the Russian-Estonian border, Estonians fight on both sides. Excavations (''Väljakaevamised''; 1990) This novel first appeared in Finnish as the political situation in Estonia was very unclear owing to the imminent collapse of the Soviet Union. It tells the story of Peeter Mirk (another of Kross' alter egos) who has just returned from eight years of labour camp and internal exile in Siberia and is looking for work, in order to avoid being sent back, labelled as a "parasite to Soviet society". And he needs the money to live on. It is now 1954, Stalin is dead, there is a slight political thaw. He finds a job on an archaeological dig near the main bastion in central Tallinn. There he finds a manuscript written in the 13th century by a leprous clergyman, a document which could overturn some of the assumptions about the history of Estonia that the Soviet occupier has. The novel also gives portraits of several luckless individuals who have been caught up in the paradoxes of German and Russian occupations. Elusiveness (''Tabamatus''; 1993) In 1941, a young Estonian law student is a fugitive from the occupying German Nazis, as he is suspected of being a resistance fighter. He is accused of writing certain things during the one-year Soviet occupation the previous year. But what the German occupiers dislike especially is that this young law student is writing a work about the Estonian politician and freedom fighter
Jüri Vilms Jüri Vilms (, Arkma, Kabala Parish (now Türi Parish), Kreis Fellin, Governorate of Livonia – May 2, 1918, Hauho near Hämeenlinna, Finland, unconfirmed info) was a member of the Estonian Salvation Committee and the first Deputy Prime Minis ...
(1889–1918) who was obliged to flee from the Germans back in 1918 (during another period of Estonia's tangled history) and was shot by firing squad when he had just reached Helsinki, around the time that Estonia became independent of Russia. Mesmer's Circle (''Mesmeri ring''; 1995) Another novel involving Kross' alter ego, Jaak Sirkel, who is by now a first-year student at Tartu University. One of his fellow students Indrek Tarna has been sent to
Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part ...
by the Reds, when the Soviets occupied Estonia in 1940. Indrek's father performs a strange ritual with several people standing around the dining-table and holding hands – as
Franz Mesmer Franz Anton Mesmer (; ; 23 May 1734 – 5 March 1815) was a German physician with an interest in astronomy. He theorised the existence of a natural energy transference occurring between all animated and inanimate objects; this he called " ani ...
did with his patients. This ritual is meant to give his boy strength by way of prayer. Others react in a more conventional way to the tensions of 1939. This is also where the reader first meets the fellow student who will become the protagonist in Kross' novel ''
Treading Air ''Treading Air'' (orig. Estonian ''Paigallend'') is Jaan Kross' thirteenth novel. He tells the story of the generation of Estonians with which he grew up. The unhealed wounds of recent Estonian history has been to the fore in Kross' short storie ...
''. The novel is partly a love story, where Sirkel, a friend of Tarna's is in love with his girlfriend Riina. And Tarna is in Siberia... Conflicting loyalties. When the Germans invade Estonia Tarna can return to Estonia. The Riina problem gets more tangled. Tahtamaa (idem; 2001) Tahtamaa is a plot of land by the sea. This novel is described by Rutt Hinrikus of the
Estonian Literary Museum The Estonian Literary Museum (ELM; et, Eesti Kirjandusmuuseum), is a national research institute of the Ministry of Education and Research of the Republic of Estonia. Its mission is to improve the cultural heritage of Estonia, to collect, preser ...
in a short review article on the internet. It is a novel about the differences in mentality between the Estonians who lived in the Soviet Union, and those that escaped abroad, and their descendants. It is also a novel about greed and covetousness, ownership, and is even a love story between older people. This is Kross' last novel and is set in the 1990s, after Estonia regained its independence.


Death

Jaan Kross died in Tallinn, at the age of 87, on 27 December 2007. He is survived by his wife, children's author and poet Ellen Niit, and four children. The
President of Estonia The president of the Republic of Estonia ( et, Eesti Vabariigi President) is the head of state of the Republic of Estonia. The current president is Alar Karis, elected by Parliament on 31 August 2021, replacing Kersti Kaljulaid. Estonia is on ...
(at the time), Toomas Hendrik Ilves, praised Kross "as a preserver of the Estonian language and culture." Kross is buried at the
Rahumäe cemetery Rahumäe ( Estonian for ''"Peace Hill"'' or ''"Quiet Hill"'') is a subdistrict ( et, asum) in the district of Nõmme, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It covers an area of and has a population of 3,075 (), population density is . Rahumäe has a ...
in Tallinn.


Quotes

*''"He was one of those who kept fresh the spirits of the people and made us ready to take the opportunity of restoring Estonia's independence."'' — Toomas Hendrik Ilves


Tribute

On February 19, 2020,
Google Google LLC () is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company focusing on Search Engine, search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, software, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, ar ...
celebrated his 100th birthday with a
Google Doodle A Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and notable historical figures. The first Google Doodle honored the 1998 edition of the long-running an ...
.


Bibliography

Selected Estonian titles in chronological order *''
Kolme katku vahel '' Kolme katku vahel'' is a novel by the Estonian author Jaan Kross. It was first published in 1970. The main character of the historical novel is Balthasar Russow Balthasar Russow (1536–1600) was one of the most important Livonian and Esto ...
'' (''Between Three Plagues''), 1970–1976. A tetralogy of novels. *'' Klio silma all'' (''Under Clio's Gaze''), 1972. Four novellas. *'' Kolmandad mäed'' (The Third Range of Hills''), 1974. Novel. *'' Keisri hull'' 1978 (English: '' The Czar's Madman'', Harvill, 1992, in Anselm Hollo's translation). Novel. *''
Rakvere romaan ''Rakvere romaan'' (Estonian for ''Rakvere Novel'') is a 1982 historical novel by Estonian writer Jaan Kross. It's about Rakvere's struggle for the 1302 gained town rights in the 18th century when the Tiesenhausens want to own the town's land ...
'' (''A Rakvere Novel''), 1982. Novel. *'' Professor Martensi ärasõit'' 1984, (English: ''
Professor Martens' Departure ''Professor Martens' Departure'' is a 1984 historical novel set in czarist Russia by Estonian writer Jaan Kross. Plot summary Friedrich Fromhold Martens, born in Pärnu, Estonia on 27 August 1845, was a renowned expert in international law. H ...
'', Harvill, 1994, in Anselm Hollo's translation). Novel. *'' Vastutuulelaev'' 1987 (English: '' Sailing Against the Wind'', Northwestern University Press, 2012, in Eric Dickens' translation). Novel. *'' Wikmani poisid'' (''The Wikman Boys''), 1988. Novel. *'' Silmade avamise päev'' 1988, (English: '' The Conspiracy and Other Stories'', Harvill, 1995, in Eric Dickens' translation). Short-stories. *'' Väljakaevamised'' (''Excavations''), 1990. Novel. *'' Tabamatus'' (''Elusiveness''), 1993. Novel. *'' Mesmeri ring'' (''Mesmer's Circle''), 1995. Novel. *'' Paigallend'' 1998 (English: ''
Treading Air ''Treading Air'' (orig. Estonian ''Paigallend'') is Jaan Kross' thirteenth novel. He tells the story of the generation of Estonians with which he grew up. The unhealed wounds of recent Estonian history has been to the fore in Kross' short storie ...
'', Harvill, 2003, in Eric Dickens' translation). Novel. *'' Tahtamaa'', (''Tahtamaa'') 2001. Novel. *'' Kallid kaasteelised'' (''Dear Co-Travellers'') 2003. First volume of autobiography. *'' Omaeluloolisus ja alltekst'' (''Autobiographism and Subtext'') 2003. Lectures on his own novels. *'' Kallid kaasteelised'' (''Dear Co-Travellers'') 2008. Second (posthumous) volume of autobiography. Stories in English-language anthologies: * ''Four Monologues on the Subject of Saint George'' in the anthology of Estonian literature ''The Love That Was'' Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1982, translator Robert Dalglish. * Kajar Pruul, Darlene Reddaway: ''Estonian Short Stories'', Northwestern University Press, Evanston, Illinois, 1996 (The stories: ''Hallelujah'' and ''The Day His Eyes Are Opened''. Translator: Ritva Poom.) *
Jan Kaus Jan Kaus (born 22 January 1971) is an Estonian writer. Life and work Jan Kaus was born in Aegviidu and studied education and philosophy in Tallinn. In 1995, he took his teacher's examination. Kaus currently works as poetry and prose write ...
(editor): ''The Dedalus Book of Estonian Literature'', Dedalus Books, Sawtry, England, 2011 (The story: ''Uncle''. Translator: Eric Dickens.) Kross the essayist Between 1968 and 1995, Kross published six small volumes of essays and speeches, a total of about 1,200 small-format pages. Biography The only biography of any length of Jaan Kross to date was first published in Finnish by WSOY, Helsinki, in 2008 and was written by the Finnish literary scholar Juhani Salokannel, the then director of the Finnish Institute in Tallinn. Salokannel is also the Finnish translator of several of Kross key works His Kross biography is entitled simply ''Jaan Kross'' and has not yet appeared in any other language except Finnish and Estonian. It covers both the biographical and textual aspects of Kross' work, also dealing with matters such as Kross the poet and Kross the playwright.Estonian version: Juhani Salokannel: ''Jaan Kross'', Eesti Keele Sihtasutus, 2009, 542 pages, , translated into Estonian by Piret Saluri


References


Sources

* Juhani Salokannel: ''Jaan Kross'', Eesti Keele Sihtasutus, Tallinn, 2009, 530 pages. (Estonian translation of a Finnish work; the largest biography of Kross available in any language.) * ''Loccumer Protokolle '89 – Der Verrückte des Zaren'' 1989, 222 pages. (Festschrift in German.) * ''All'' works of Kross in their original Estonian versions. (Also some in Finnish and Swedish translation.) * Jaan Kross: ''De ring van Mesmer'', Prometheus, Amsterdam, 2000 (Dutch translation by Frans van Nes of ''Mesmeri ring'' / '' Mesmer's Circle''). * Cornelius Hasselblatt: ''Geschichte der estnischen Literatur'', Walter de Gruyter (publishers), 2006, pages 681–696 (in German). * Both volumes of Jaan Kross' autobiography entitled ''Kallid kaasteelised I-II'', Eesti Keele Sihtasutus, Tallinn, 2003 and 2008. A total of some 1,200 pages. * ''Eesti kirjanike leksikon'' (Estonian bio-bibliographical writers' reference work), 2000. The article on Jaan Kross there. * Various reviews and obituary notices in The Guardian, TLS, etc., by
Doris Lessing Doris May Lessing (; 22 October 1919 – 17 November 2013) was a British-Zimbabwean novelist. She was born to British parents in Iran, where she lived until 1925. Her family then moved to Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), where she remain ...
,
Tibor Fischer Tibor Fischer (born 15 November 1959) is a British novelist and short story writer. In 1993, he was selected by the literary magazine Granta as one of the 20 best young British writers while his novel '' Under the Frog'' was featured on the Book ...
,
Paul Binding Paul may refer to: * Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
, Ian Thomson, and others. * Translator Eric Dickens' introductions to ''The Conspiracy and Other Stories'', ''Treading Air''. and ''Sailing Against the Wind''.
Material
on the Estonian Literature Information Centre website pertaining to Jaan Kross. * * A couple of articles on Kross in the
Estonian Literary Magazine ''Estonian Literary Magazine'' or simply ''ELM'' is an English language biannual literary magazine published in Estonia. History and profile ''ELM'' was established in 1995 and is published by the Estonian Institute. The goal of the magazine is ...
(ELM), published in Tallinn, especially during Kross' 80th birthday year of 2000. * Tannberg / Mäesalu / Lukas / Laur / Pajur: ''History of Estonia'', Avita, Tallinn, 2000, 332 pages. * Andres Adamson, Sulev Valdmaa: ''Eesti ajalugu'' (Estonian History), Koolibri, Tallinn, 1999, 230 pages. * Arvo Mägi: ''Eesti rahva ajaraamat'' (The Estonian People's History Book), Koolibri, Tallinn, 1993, 176 pages. * Silvia Õispuu (editor): ''Eesti ajalugu ärkimisajast tänapäevani'' (Estonian History From National Awakening to the Present Day), Koolibri, 1992, 376 pages. * Mart Laar: ''14. juuni 1941'' (14 June 1941; about the deportations to Siberia), Valgus, Tallinn, 1990, 210 pages. * Mart Laar and Jaan Tross: ''Punane Terror'' (Red Terror), Välis-Eesti & EMP, Stockholm, Sweden, 1996, 250 pages. *
Andres Tarand Andres Tarand (born 11 January 1940) is an Estonian geographer, climatologist and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Estonia from 1994 to 1995. He was also a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Social Democratic Party, pa ...
: ''Cassiopeia'' (the author's father's letter from the labour camps), Tallinn, 1992, 260 pages. *
Imbi Paju Imbi Paju (born 3 June 1959) is an Estonian-born journalist, writer and filmmaker resident in Finland. Biography Paju was born in Jõgevamaa, but has been operating in Finland as a correspondent of the Estonian newspapers ''Eesti Päevaleht' ...
: ''Förträngda minnen'' (Suppressed Memories), Atlantis, Stockholm, 2007, 344 pages (Swedish translation of the Estonian original: ''Tõrjutud mälestused''.) * ''Venestamine Eestis 1880–1917'' (Russification in Estonia 1880–1917; documents), Tallinn, 1997, 234 pages. * ''Molotovi-Ribbentropi paktist baaside lepinguni'' (From the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact to the Bases Agreement; documents), Perioodika, Tallinn, 1989, 190 pages. * Vaime Kabur and Gerli Palk: ''Jaan Kross – Bibliograafia'' (Jaan Kross- Bibliography), Bibilotheca Baltica, Tallinn, 1997, 368 pages.


External links

* Guardian biography 2003: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2003/jul/05/featuresreviews.guardianreview4 * Estonian Literature Information Centre profile: https://web.archive.org/web/20140222095137/http://www.estlit.ee/?id=10878&author=10878&c_tpl=1066&tpl=1063 {{DEFAULTSORT:Kross, Jaan 1920 births 2007 deaths Writers from Tallinn Estonian male novelists Estonian male short story writers 20th-century Estonian novelists 21st-century Estonian novelists 20th-century Estonian poets Estonian male poets 20th-century short story writers 21st-century short story writers 20th-century male writers 21st-century male writers Gulag detainees People's Writers of the Estonian SSR Herder Prize recipients Recipients of the Order of the National Coat of Arms, 1st Class Burials at Rahumäe Cemetery Members of the Riigikogu, 1992–1995