Rudolf Sirge

Rudolf Sirge ( December 30, 1904 in Tartu - August 24, 1970 , between Paunküla and Tallinn ) was an Estonian writer.

Life

Rudolf Sirge was born in 1904 as the son of a sawmill worker and spent his childhood in various places in southern Estonia. The educational path was slow. After four years of elementary school, he was only accepted into the teachers' college in Tartu at the second attempt in 1921, which he left after two and a half years without a degree. Sirge then got by for a few years in various places as a casual worker and in 1926 took a job as an errand boy for a publishing house in Tartu. There he made up his Abitur at the evening grammar school in 1928 and then enrolled at the economic faculty of the University of Tartu . However, he only stayed at the university for one semester, and he didn't really go to college.

In the following years Sirge worked as a publishing employee and reporter and also made several trips. In 1932 he even wanted to do a circumnavigation, but the following year it was canceled on the West African coast. From 1937 to 1940 he was press officer in the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After the Sovietization of Estonia in June 1940, the new rulers appointed him director of the Estonian Telegraph Agency. After Hitler's attack on the Soviet Union and the occupation of Estonia in the summer of 1941, Sirge was imprisoned by the Germans for eight months. After that he could withdraw to the country and wait for the war to end. From 1946 he worked intermittently for the literary magazine Looming and the Estonian Writers' Union . Rudolf Sirge died in 1970 in an ambulance on the way from Paunküla to Tallinn.

plant

Sirge debuted in 1925 with stories for children in a magazine and in 1926 with a story in Postimees . His first books appeared in 1927, two collections of short stories that testify to socially critical, social commitment and also show naturalistic elements. He achieved his first great success with the monumental novel Peace! Loaf! Country! , which received second prize in the 1929 Loodus publishing house's novel competition and was then published in two volumes. In this large-scale panorama, the October Revolution of 1917 is described from the perspective of the Tartu suburbs. Sirge accusingly and naturalistically describes the conditions in the city and in the tsarist empire in general, where hunger, not necessarily any ideology, drove the workers to revolution.

The next novel cannot be seen separately from the events in Germany in 1933. Sirge had returned to Estonia via Germany that year after his world tour had been broken off, and had seen National Socialism there. Not much later he noticed comparable tendencies among the German minority in Estonia, as he records in an unpublished fragment of his memoir: "Yes, the situation was that the Nazis in our country were publicly organizing their" summer camps ", with the main participants being the offspring of the were former Baltic barons and other German elements with a fascist touch, who blatantly shouted that one had to fill the "eastern space" with their race. Worse still: the Germans also bought land [of course with funds from the Great German foreign aid!], so that in Many municipalities again created large estates of hundreds of hectares in size ... The semi-fascist government of Päts ignored all of this. Knowing the attitude of my people and knowing that the liberal bourgeoisie also supported me in this matter, I had the novel printed. " The novel was titled Black Summer and dealt with the German occupation of Estonia at the end of the First World War . This summer of 1918 was experienced extremely negatively in Estonia, which had declared itself independent on February 24, 1918. Since Sirge now saw comparable tendencies arise, he wanted to warn against this with this novel by addressing this inglorious German occupation. With this he hit a sensitive nerve with many Germans in Estonia, who complained at the highest level and obtained the cancellation of the stage version. In Germany itself an "official translation" was created (see below), while the Estonian critics received the novel very benevolently.

The surely most important novel by Rudolf Sirge did not appear until the Soviet era. In 1956 the extensive historical painting Land und Volk was published, initially distributed over six issues by Looming and then immediately as a book, which describes the events in the flat countryside in the first year of the Soviet government, i.e. 1940/1941. So far, this period could only be treated in a clearly oriented socialist jubilation style, but Sirge did the opposite. He described things as they really were and aptly captured the moods and events in the country. For example, the forest brothers and the Soviet deportations from June 1941 were also discussed. The author's sympathy is clearly on the side of the peasants, not on the side of the Soviet power. Quite apart from that, the novel is also exciting and complex, which explains its great success with reading audiences - not only in Estonia, but also in exile: "Whether the novel was read in Estonia or Sweden, in both cases it was clear that it was not was about justification, but about condemning the deportations. " writes the Estonian literary scholar Ülo Tonts. On the official side, there were discussions in the Writers' Union that had preceded the publication, as well as a ban on a theatrical version, and the award of the Lenin Prize was prevented at the last minute. But that didn't change the success and importance of Sirge's novel. Land and people "led Estonian prose, should it ever find itself in the stranglehold of socialist realism, back out into clearer waters." The novel was also published in Finnish (1961), Latvian (1970), Russian (1956) and Ukrainian (1973).

Books

Novels

• Rahu! Leiba! Maad! ('Peace! Bread! Land!', Tartu: Loodus 1929. 781 pp.)
• Must suvi ('The Black Summer', Tartu: Noor-Eesti Kirjastus 1936. 217 pp.)
• Häbi südames ('Shame in the Heart', Tartu: Eesti Kirjastuse Cooperative 1938. 398 pp.)
• Maa ja rahvas ('Land und Volk', Tallinn: Eesti Riiklik Kirjastus 1956. 636 p .; 2nd edition 1959, 3rd edition 1965, 4th edition 1976)
• Häbi südames ('Shame in the Heart', edited version, Tallinn: Eesti Riiklik Kirjastus 1959. 287 pp.)
• Tulukesed luhal (' Flammchen auf der Aue', edited version of 'Peace! Bread! Land!', Tallinn: Eesti Riiklik Kirjastus 1961. 639 p.)
• Kolmekesi lauas ('To three at the table', Tallinn: Eesti Raamat 1970. 152 p.)

Short prose collections

• Võõras võim ('The Foreign Power', Tartu: Sõnavara 1927. 94 p.)
• Maanteel ('On the Road', Tartu: Sõnavara 1927. 167 p.)
• Väikesed soovid ('Small wishes', stories, Tartu: Noor-Eesti Kirjastus 1935. 191 pp.)
• Luhtunud lennud ('The failed flights', Tartu: Eesti Kirjastuse cooperative 1937. 205 p.)
• Algava päeva eel ('Before the beginning of the day', Tallinn: Ilukirjandus ja Kunst 1947. 312 pp.)
• Ühise töö rütmis ('In the rhythm of working together', Tallinn: Eesti Riiklik Kirjastus 1951. 253 pp.)
• Kutsuv rada ('The calling path', Tallinn: Eesti Riiklik Kirjastus 1954. 491 pp.)
• Tuultest sasitud (' Disheveled with the wind', Tallinn: Eesti Raamat 1965. 255 pp.)

Spectacles

• Äri huvides ('In the interests of business', Tallinn: Autorikaitse Ühing 1936. 44 pp.)
• Must suvi ('The Black Summer', Tallinn: Autorikaitse Ühing 1937. 151 p.)

Features, travel reports, etc. Ä.

• (together with Aleksander Antson ) Tänapäeva Venemaa ('Today Russia', Tartu: Noor-Eesti 1930. 231 pp.)
• Józef Pilsudski. Uue Poola looja. ('JP, the creator of the new Poland', Tartu: Eesti Kirjanduse Selts 1937. 159 pp.)
• Väike, aga tubli ('Small, but capable', children's book, Tallinn: Ilukirjandus ja Kunst 1949. 85 pp.)
• Mitmest kaarest ('From many directions', travel reports . Tallinn: Eesti Riiklik Kirjastus 1964. 334 p.)
• Meretaguste juures ('In Übersee', travel reports . Tallinn: Eesti Raamat 1968. 228 pp.)

Awards

• Honored Writer of the Estonian SSR 1957
• Eduard Vilde Prize 1965

Reception in Germany

"Service translation"

The novel The Black Summer aroused interest in the Prussian Secret State Archives in Berlin, where the press of the states in which German minorities lived was closely followed. A Königsberg correspondent had heard of the "incident", i. H. reported to Berlin about the fuss about the novel by translating press extracts. When the stage version came out in May 1937 and was immediately canceled again at the instigation of the Germans in whose theater the performances were taking place, people became even more curious. The press office of the Prussian Secret State Archives commissioned a translation of the novel in question. It was also made, but "only for official use" (!). The process can therefore hardly be assessed as a literary reception, since only a few officials will actually have read the text. On the other hand, official interest is of course also a special form of reception. The distribution of the manuscript was very limited, but a few copies can still be found today (Berlin, Göttingen, Kiel, Marburg, Münster).

The publication had only a political intention and was intended to show the Nazi officials that the culture in Estonia had dangerous anti-German tendencies. The text is very strong, shortened to less than 60 percent of its original size, and all decorative accessories have been omitted. The following excerpt from the foreword clarifies the concern of the publication agency: "It would be wrong to see the content of the novel" Must Suvi "only as the intellectual product of an outsider. You have to take a closer look at the attitude of certain political circles in Estonia in order to see such inflammatory pamphlet The official authorities and the Estonian press have warmly welcomed the novel and cannot help it, as their behavior primarily caused the publication of such a book. - Today they are hostile to both the new Germany and Soviet Russia In contrast, a growing interest in Germany is becoming noticeable among the people as a result of the constant German reconstruction work, which even the Estonian press cannot completely conceal. We already know that the people today with the supposed horror words "fascist" and "Nazi" perhaps arouse admiration rather than disgust try certain passages with the old battle slogan "The German baron is back" or "urge to the east" to pursue their objective. The author has now allowed these two slogans to work in the novel. "

Other translations

Further German translations by Rudolf Sirge have only appeared in anthologies and magazines:

• The log [estn. Orig .: Logi ]. Translation from the Russian by Alfred Edgar Thoss, in: From the book of life. Ukrainian and Estonian short stories. Selection and introduction Erich Müller. Berlin: Publishing House Culture and Progress 1951, pp. 177–201.
• The grass of Savimäe [estn. Orig .: Kodumuru ]. Translation from Russian by Erich Einhorn, in: Soviet literature 10/1968, pp. 100–117.
• Cripple pines [estn. Orig .: Rabamännid ]. Translation from Estonian by Alexander Baer, ​​in: The last wreckers. Estonian stories from seven decades. Selected by Alexander Baer, ​​Welta Ehlert, Nikolai Sillat. Berlin: Verlag Volk und Welt 1975, pp. 255–293.
• Northeast course [estn. Orig .: Logi ]. Translation from Estonian by Aivo Kaidja, in: Estonian Novels. Selected by Endel Sõgel. Tallinn: Perioodika 1979, pp. 159-190.
• The lawn at home [estn. Orig .: Kodumuru ]. Translation from the Estonian by Helga Viira , in: The benevolent protector of the skippers'. Short Estonian prose from four decades. Selected by August Eelmäe. Tallinn: Perioodika 1984, pp. 23-47.

literature

• Olev Jõgi: Rudolf Sirge kirjanduslik arengutee, in: Looming 10/1955, pp. 1246–1265, 11/1955, pp. 1372–1397.
• Alexander Borstschagowski: Rudolf Sirge "Boden und Volk", in: Sowjetliteratur 1/1961, pp. 194–195.
• Soja Krachmalnikowa: Rudolf Sirge "Land und Volk", in: Sowjetliteratur 6/1963, pp. 163-164.
• Ülo Tonts : Rudolf Sirge varasema loomingujärgu ühiskondlikud ja kirjanduslikud vaated [1924-1930], in: Looming 12/1964, 1874-1892.
• Ülo Tonts: Rudolf Sirge kirjandusliku ja maailmavaatelise arenemise põhijooni 1930-ndatel aastatel, in: Paar sammukest V. Tallinn 1967, pp. 147–172.
• Renata Blodow: Maa ja rahvas ('Land und Volk'), in: Kindlers Llieratur Lexikon Volume 4. Zurich: Kindler 1968, Sp. 1748–1749; Kindler's New Literature Lexicon Volume 15. Munich: Kindler 1991, pp. 550–551.
• Erna Siirak: Rudolf Sirgest kui reisikirjanikust, in: Looming 12/1969, pp. 1879–1885.
• Ülo Tonts: Pilk "Maa ja rahva" loomisloosse, in: Looming 12/1973, pp. 2079-2092.
• Ülo Tonts: Rudolf Sirge. Lühimonograafia. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat 1974. 154 pp.
• Cornelius Hasselblatt : Rudolf Sirge preislastest ametnike töölaual, Eesti kirjanduse välisretseptsiooni kõrvalteid, in: Keel ja Kirjandus 2/2003, pp. 81–91.
• Cornelius Hasselblatt: The Fairy Tale of Socialism: How 'Socialist' was the 'New' Literature in Soviet Estonia ?, in: The Sovietization of the Baltic States, 1940-1956. Ed. by Olaf Mertelsmann. Tartu: KLEIO ajalookirjanduse sihtasutus 2003, pp. 227-236.
• Renata Blodow / Cornelius Hasselblatt: Rudolf Sirge, Maa ja rahvas, in: Kindlers Literatur Lexikon, 3rd edition. Volume 15 Stuttgart: Metzler 2009, p. 222.
• Aare Pilv : Rudolf Sirge ajalooromaanidest. Katse lugeda nõukogude kirjandust uuesti, in: Keel ja Kirjandus 8-9 / 2013, pp. 661–679.
• Aare Pilv: Is It Possible to Read Soviet Literature Anew? Rudolf Sirge's Historical Novels, in: Novels, Histories, Novel Nations. Historical Fiction and Cultural Memory in Finland and Estonia. Edited by Linda Kaljundi, Eneken Laanes & Ilona Pikkanen. Helsinki: SKS 2015 (Studia Fennica Historica 19), pp. 211–233.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Ülo Tonts: Rudolf Sirge. Tallinn 1974, p. 25.
2. ↑ Cornelius Hasselblatt: History of Estonian Literature. From the beginning to the present. Berlin, New York: De Gruyter 2006, p. 479.
3. ↑ Quoted from: Cornelius Hasselblatt: Estonian literature in German translation. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz 2011, p. 150.
4. ↑ Cornelius Hasselblatt: The Fairy Tale of Socialism: How 'Socialist' was the 'New' Literature in Soviet Estonia ?, in: The Sovietization of the Baltic States, 1940-1956. Ed. by Olaf Mertelsmann. Tartu: KLEIO ajalookirjanduse sihtasutus 2003, pp. 227-236.
5. ↑ Ülo Tonts: Mäletamisest yes unustamisest. Rudolf Sirge 90, in: Postimees on December 30, 1994.
6. ↑ Ülo Tonts: Pilk "Maa ja rahva" loomisloosse, in: Looming 12/1973, p. 2082.
7. ↑ Ülo Tonts: Mäletamisest yes unustamisest. Rudolf Sirge 90, in: Postimees on December 30, 1994.
8. ↑ Mall Kuusik: Sovietization of Literature in Estonia, in: Acta Baltica 5, 1965, p. 208.
9. ↑ Cornelius Hasselblatt: History of Estonian Literature. From the beginning to the present. Berlin, New York: De Gruyter 2006, p. 604.
10. ↑ See more on this: Cornelius Hasselblatt: Estonian Literature in German Translation. A reception story from the 19th to the 21st century. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz 2011. pp. 149–152, and in Estonian: Cornelius Hasselblatt: Rudolf Sirge preislastest ametnike töölaual, Eesti kirjanduse välisretseptsiooni kõrvalteid, in: Keel ja Kirjandus 2/2003, pp. 81–91.
11. ^ Rudolf Sirge Must Suvi (The Black Summer.) Novel 1936. Publisher: Noor-Eesti Kirjastus Tartus. Official translation of the Preuss Publication Office. Secret State Archives in Berlin-Dahlem. Berlin 1937. 61 pp.
12. ↑ See https://kvk.bibliothek.kit.edu .
13. ↑ Quoted from: Cornelius Hasselblatt: Estonian literature in German translation. A reception story from the 19th to the 21st century. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz 2011. p. 151.
14. ↑ Individual references in: Cornelius Hasselblatt: Estonian literature in German language 1784-2003. Bibliography of primary and secondary literature. Bremen: Hempen Verlag 2004, pp. 125–126.