Elmar`s library: Part Two
Anti Liiv, Estonian Psychologist
Part One of Elmer’s Library was published in Ajakaja-Winter 2005 issue
In Part One we talked about the books read by 50 to 55-year-old Estonian men in their childhood in the 1960s. This time we’ll focus on his books of interest in the 1980s. It was a time when it was very cool to have at least 200 to 300 books in an Estonian home. The books were cheap, approximately the price of a couple of bottles of beer.
Perhaps it was a bit strange to have different reference books at home. To understand the importance of some very important books for preserving Estonian identity and culture following WWII, it is helpful to write a few words about encyclopaedias.
The idea to write a National Encyclopaedia in Estonia arose already at the end of the 19 th century. Estonian-speaking authors were few and not ready to tackle such a comprehensive treatise, or perhaps there were not enough readers to justify the effort. Those interested in searching for facts used German sources up to WWI.
The first Estonian Encyclopaedia (Eesti Entsüklopeedia, or EE-1) was published between 1932 and 1940 in independent Estonia. This very well written reference book (8 volumes + 1 interim edition) reflected and supported Estonian culture.
Unfortunately Estonia was occupied by the former Soviet Union during WWII. The new rulers were afraid that this book was too dangerous for the socialist system and tried to destroy all copies of the first Encyclopaedia. It became very rare during the post-WWII years.
In the 1960s, EE-1 came to be perceived as being less anti-Soviet. It was found on open shelves in the Library of Tartu University. As most copies of the book were destroyed during the Stalin era it is not known how many have survived to the present time. Nevertheless, EE-1 is and was highly-priced in Estonian second-hand bookshops. Although EE-1 is more than 70 years old, some facts from this old book are still sought after today.
The next Estonian Encyclopaedia was published (Publishing House of Estonian Encyclopaedia) when the Soviet occupational regime became a bit milder in the 1960s. A well-known Estonian politician, Mr. Tunne Kelam, now a member of the European Parliament, worked as one of about 50 editors in the Publishing House from 1965 -1975. Due to political issues, the first volume (65 000 copies!) wasn’t published until 1968.
The official name of the book was the Estonian Soviet Encyclopaedia (Eesti Nõukogude Entsüklopeedia), but it became well known in Estonia under the nickname ENE, a very nice Estonian girl’s name. Eight volumes of ENE plus an addendum were published between 1968 and 1978. This publication was a very important milestone in Estonian culture under Soviet occupation as all the authors were the best Estonian specialists. Some of the authors had taken part in compiling EE-1 before WWII and their unsanctioned involvement was discussed in cafeterias and family parties.
The success of ENE led to the publication of ENEKE , an endearing nickname of ENE, for Estonian children. It was published in four volumes (75 000 copies!) between 1982 and 1986 and quickly became a bestseller.
It should be emphasized that both ENE and ENEKE were psychologically important educational tools in Estonia during Soviet occupation. Pressure was also mounting for Estonians to become bilingual in support of the so-called “Soviet nationality”. ENE and ENEKE both supported the Estonian identity and also the development of scientific thinking and writing in Estonian.
Following the publication of ENE-1 work started immediately on ENE-2, the first of several editions. It was published in 1985, the same year that Michael Gorbachev restricted alcohol consumption in Estonia.
This time 220,000 copies were ordered (or bought from bookstores), perhaps the highest number of copies of any Estonian-language publication.
The first volume of ENE had the Soviet censorship numbers (IB #4553 and MB-08646). By the late 1980s the winds of change, fanned by the Singing Revolution, resulted in the declaration of Estonian Independence in 1991.
Volume 4 was the last edition of the Estonian Soviet Encyclopaedia (ENE).
Starting with the 5 th volume, the Publishing House decided to restore the old name “Estonian Encyclopaedia-EE”. You can trace the development on Elmar’s bookshelf - Volumes 1 to 4 is ENE; starting with Volume 5 the name is EE-2. The latest Volume, published in 2000, is EE-14.
It is interesting to note that two separate sets of atlases were also published: the first one in 1989 with Estonia shown as part of the Soviet Union and identified with Soviet censorship #’s: IB 6715 and MB-0813. The declaration of Estonian Independence in 1991 led to a change in the Estonian border and resulted in much debate about how to correct the 1989 border issue because it was perceived as an insult to national pride. These discussions lasted long enough to allow for the preparation of a totally new, high-quality Large World Atlas(Suur Maailma Atlas) in Estonian, the biggest in the history of Estonia. It was published in 2005.
Estonians lived under Soviet occupation for 50 years. This situation is perhaps the reason why some strange competitions and quizzes (Informiin, Mnemoturniir and Kilvad), based on the use of different reference books, captured people’s attention. But that’s another story.
So the makeup of Elmar’s library illustrates how a small nation of one million Estonian-speaking citizens purchased 220,000 copies of the multi-volume National Encyclopaedias and used them to support their cultural identity through the 20 th and the 21 st centuries. If you visit the land of your ancestors in the future, take time to visit a library and look for these volumes.
Editors note: It is noteworthy that Estonians lined up for hours, sometimes overnight, to order their pre-publication copies of the Estonian Encyclopaedia prior to publication. The author waited in line for four hours. From our detached vantage point we can only imagine how the purchase of a book can contribute to a protest action in support of a nation’s identity and culture.
