Panel discussion: Food and Literature

Some may find it unpalatable to combine literature and food – food is for eating, not poetry. But then again: why not make poems about it? If food seems too mundane a subject to put into books, one can have a look at classical literature and drama. However, even that may lead to some unexpected finds, like when in Homer’s telling, Hecabe wants to eat Achilles. Be that as it may, as food is an inevitable part of life, it is also an integral part of literature. The HeadRead festival offers a chance to consider food in literature at the Tallinn Central Library on Thursday 25 May at 5 pm. The panel includes Pille Petersoo (1974), a social scientist, founder of the food blog Nami-nami.ee and the food editor of the Kodu & Aed magazine; Vladislav Koržets (1951), Estonian best loved fisherman, writer and humorist, who has penned several books on fishing and is the soul of the Kalambuur restaurant; and poet and gourmand Karl Martin Sinijärv (1971), whose poetry often features food or ingredients.