In this collection which contains both autobiography and fiction, the prominent Estonian artist and writer Toomas Vint, whose career spans the Soviet period and Estonia's re-gaining of independence, demonstrates his characteristic mischievous, dark sense of humour, an artist's eye for visual detail, and an experimental approach to form. His main themes are the fine dividing line between fantasy and reality, man's foibles, frailties and capacity for self-deception, and the absurd and sometimes tragicomic nature of the human condition.

About the Author

Toomas Vint was born in 1944 in Tallinn, Estonia, where he still lives today with his wife Aili. Since 1971, Vint has earned living as a freelance writer and painter. Vint's novels and short stories have been nominated for several literary awards; he has won the Friedebert Tuglas Short Story Award twice, as well as the Estonian Prose Award.

Matthew Hyde is a translator of fiction and non-fiction from Russian and Estonian. After studying Russian and politics at London and Essex Universities, and gaining his Institute of Linguists Diploma in Translation with a distinction for literary translation, Matthew worked for 15 years for the British Government as a translator, research analyst, and diplomat, with postings in London, Moscow, and Tallinn (as Deputy Head of Mission). Following this last posting Matthew chose to remain in Tallinn with his Estonian partner and baby son, where he plays the double bass and translates.

Reviews

"A magnificently strange compilation offers a fun-house mirror view of contemporary life."

Book Information
ISBN 9781564789471
Author Toomas Vint
Format Paperback
Page Count 229
Imprint Dalkey Archive Press
Publisher Dalkey Archive Press