In Estonia, one of the biggest bestsellers of translated fiction last year was The Philosophy of Walking by the French philosopher Frédéric Gros. He argues that the secrets of walking include the slow approach of landscapes gradually making them more familiar. A gradual, yet consistent and continuous approach of landscapes is exactly the aim of the literary walks of the HeadRead festival – and also one of the reasons for their popularity. This year, we can offer no less than five walks. There are three walks in the Old Town: on Thursday 25 May at 5 pm, the literary scholar Jaanus Vaiksoo will lead a walk along the footsteps of the literary group Siuru (assembly point: in front of the Siuru house, Pikk 34), and on Saturday local historian Josef Kats will make two rounds in Russian in the Old Town, at 12 pm and 2 pm respectively (assembly point: the Estonian Writers’ Union, Harju 1). Enthusiasts can also approach their environment on Thursday 25 May at 3 pm with Maarja Vaino, who will lead a walk around Kadriorg (assembly point: the Tammsaare Museum, Koidula 12a) and on Friday 26 May at 12 pm, Eva Koldits and Maarja Kangro will lead the way in Kalamaja (assembly point: Café Klaus, Kalasadama 8). If someone feels inclined to say that they don’t really have the time, then it is best to turn to Gros again: “Days are very long when you’re walking slowly – they extend one’s life because every hour, every minute, every second is allowed to breathe, take stock, instead of constantly overstuffing them.” We invite you to extend your days. All literary walks are in Estonian, except for the literary walk with Josef Kats. Participants should register by emailing retk@headread.ee (from 10 May).
