Culture

At a time when the societies and lifestyles of Europe are gradually melting together, culture has remained a privileged domain of diversity: cultural creation is the best and the purest expression of a nation’s and its country’s identity.

Estonia, small in size, has amply demonstrated being great in spirit. It was demonstrated as early as the mid-19th century, when the national epic “Kalevipoeg” (Son of Kalev) was published, a book now translated into a dozen languages. Modern Estonian music, visual and cinematic art win more and more acclaim abroad and provide foreigners with a roadmap to discovering the multifaceted Estonian spirit. Yet of all realms of art, literature is the one enabling the most profound understanding of Estonia and its people. After all, literature works with language, emotions and ideas.

Antoine Chalvin
Lecturer of the Institute of Oriental languages and cultures (Paris), translator

Read more in Estonian MFA's "Glance at the Mirror 2009" - Estonia as reflected by foreign media