National Library of Estonia, Talinn, Estonia, exterior
In February 2024, a group of eight Japanese publishers travelled to the Baltic states Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, to participate in the book fairs in Vilnius and Riga and to explore the rich literary scene of this region. In this talk event, four of the tour participants share their experiences from the study tour, in which they mastered an ambitious schedule to encounter three countries, which after gaining independency from the Soviet Union in the early 1990s have pursued their identities as young and dynamic democracies. The Baltics are not only intertwined by their complex histories, but also by the fact, that their citizens are among the most passionate bookworms in Europe.
The talk event is moderated by the book critic Sukezane Watanabe.
The international HeadRead literary festival in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is organized by writers, publishers and translators and is held in May. It welcomes writers from all over the world and focuses on offering its audience the opportunity to get acquainted not only with the works of various authors, but above all with the authors themselves. The festival has taken place for 12 years and cooperates beyond fiction and non-fiction with theatre, film, and music.
Traditionally taking place in the first week of May in Tartu since 2004, the Tartu International Festival Prima Vista features writers, artists, academics, and cultural enthusiasts from different countries to map and make sense of the societal fears and hopes related to the future in the most diverse way possible. It is a cross-disciplinary literary festival that explores the contemporary meaning of utopias and dystopias in an artistic and critical form.
The Baltic Book Fair is held alternately in one of the Baltic capitals of Tallinn, Vilnius and Riga in February. The first fair was held in Tallinn in 1995. It is particularly characterized by the high number of participating countries represented, which increases every year. The biannual fair represents information centers, publishers and larger publishing houses especially from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Established in 1990 the Betti Alver Literary Prize is awarded by the Tartu department of the Estonian Writers’ Union with the support of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia. It is annually awarded according to the last wish expressed in Betti Alver’s will and honors an outstanding debut work in poetry or prose (fiction). The current prize amount is 2000 EUR and is accompanied by a corresponding certificate.
Founded by Friedebert Tuglas in 1970, the Friedeberg Tuglas Short Story Award is the oldest continuously awarded literary prize in Estonia. There are two awards each year honoring the best short stories published during the previous year. The prize consists of a special edition publication and a cash prize dedicated to the laureate.
The tradition of the Romaanivõistlus, the Estonian novel competitions, was started by the publishing house Loodus (Nature) in 1927. The competitions are held irregularly and serve to acknowledge Estonian novels. The organization of these competitions is mainly reserved for publishers or publishing houses. In 2014 the novel competition was revived by the Eesti Kirjanike Liit (Estonian Writers’ Union) with the support of private companies. The Estonian Writers’ Union Novel Competition is held every year and is endowed with 10,000 EUR.
The Estonian Science Fiction Award Stalker is designed to honor the best science fiction novels and collection as well as the best original and translated stories, published in Estonian during the calendar year. The award is non-monetary, in addition to a certificate, the winner is determined by a fan survey and receives a sculpture, which varies from year to year.
Established in 1970 the Cultural Endowment Prize was originally named after and handed by the Estonian writer Juhan Smuul. Since 1995, there are several awards included, honoring the best literary works in different categories such as translation from and into Estonian, children’s and youth literature and are awarded by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.
