Andrus Kivirähk (1970) is an Estonian prose writer, humorist, playwright, journalist and children’s author. He is certainly a phenomenon, an unprecedented ‘case’: there are not many writers who are loved by both critics as well as people who don’t usually take an interest in literature. The usual trope about Kivirähk goes something like this: “I don’t really read Estonian literature and there really isn’t anything to read, except for Kivirähk, of course”. It is remarkable that Kivirähk wrote himself into Estonian literary history with his debut – Ivan Orava mälestused published in 1995. The author boldly and wittily parodies the events of Estonian recent history and its associated myths. This book set the tone for the Kivirähk ‘trademark’, which is characteristic of his fiction as well as his columns: a keen sense for social issues and the guts to look at things, including cultural archetypes and stereotypes, from an unexpected angle. Kivirähk’s continued relevance is evidenced by the fact that the film November, based on his most popular novel of the same name and directed by Rainer Sarnet, recently hit our screens. This took his 1999 novel to the top of the bestsellers lists again. Not that it ever went away. Andrus Kivirähk will talk about his work to writer and translator Indrek Koff.
Performs at
| Date | Event Name | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, 25 May at 19:00 | Andrus Kivirähk | Estonian Writers’ Union |
