Life Writing in Relational Modes

Abstract

A glance at some of the canonical works of life writing in Estonia, such as August Kitzberg’s Uhe vana “tuuletallaja’’ noorpolve malestused (1924) or Jaan Kross’s two-volume Kallid kaasteelised (2000, 2008), reveals the prominence of “a relational model of identity, developed collaboratively with others” (Eakin, How Our Lives 57).¹ What makes relationality a worthwhile focus for our review of Estonian life writing of the last two years are its varied manifestations in texts that engage with different generic conventions and cut across different strata of (literary) culture, from award-winning authors to amateur biographers, and from leading publishing houses to scholarly presses and grassroots publishing initiatives.