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EESTI ELU reedel, 17. jaanuaril 2020 — Friday, January 17, 2020
Buddhist Against Empire (II) Marju Broder, Independent Researcher Organizing Chair for International Conferences Buddhism & Australia, Perth Australia C. It is time to create our own party In 1987, Vello Vaartnou, came up with the idea and pro gramme of the Estonian Na tional Independence Party (ENIP) at the gathering in Pärnu. He said openly that it is a necessity to create our own party and take power from com munists. His talk in this meeting in Pärnu was held incomprehen sible and provocative, because no one dared even to think about taking power from com munists. On the 30 January 1988, Vaartnou organised a press conference in Moscow for ac credited foreign newspapers and made a public announcement of the establishment of an oppo sition party with the aim of restoring a free and independent Estonia. The New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tri bune and many other news papers were present, as well as US TV company ABC. Not a word was published in the local press. However, the news spread like a wildfire among the public. Authorities confusion follow ing the publication of the pro posal showed how well-done the move was. In a vague situa tion, the authorities could not take a clearer position for a long time, only in mid-February an ideological opposition to the press was given. The Brotherhood’s house was under constant surveillance by the KGB, the Buddhist ibrary was “cleaned” on several occasions, most of Vaartnou’ art
pieces were taken away and the militia was used against Taola. As result, Vaartnou was expelled from the Soviet Union by personal directive of Gor batchon on the 10th of February 1988. He became a Swedish permanent in 10 minutes in Moscow without ever stepping on Swedish soil. 30 years later Dag Hartelius, a Swedish diplomat, commented in newspaper these events say ing that the Estonians used so intelligently the USSR’s own instruments against the USSR. KGB killed some of the members of Taola – Tiina Hallik and Enn Jaanson. Un fortunately the first victims of new independent Estonia were Nyingma Buddhists in the ranks of Estonian Buddhist Brother hood. D. Iammoreinterestedwhat I’mgoingtodo. Vello Vaartnou: ” I have never cared about public or mass opinion. Already from early age, I was asked – what is your opinion, and I was explained what means personal point of view, and that every man must have his own per sonal opinion. I have to say that unlike in Estonia, I am con sidered a hero in Russia (by or dinary people and dissidents) and abroad. This proposal was my private business, in which I indirectly involved dissidents. Since dissi dents had no plan or idea to take political power from the communists, i.e.to regain inde pendence, I gave the masses an
In praise of translators Translation is an art, requir ing more than just linguistic breadth, a large vocabulary but also a feeling for the ori ginal. Especially in the case of literary translation. English is my second language and for over 20 years I have done my best to translate either from Estonian to English or Eng lish to Estonian as a sideline. Curiously, the first is easier. Perhaps due to the fact that I have an English university education and Estonian was learned at mother’s knee. Hence I have great respect for those who are able to trans late fiction from a secondary, or even tertiary, more, tongue. One such fine example is Eric Dickens (1953-2017) who has been called the foremost trans lator of Estonian literature into English. (Andres Gutman con ducted a detailed interview with him that merits reading. It ap peared in Estonian Life in 2012 and is available on-line.) By pure happenstance I chanced upon Dickens’ transla tion of Jaan Kross’ Vastutuule laev in the public library. It was
published in 1987 and I had read it in Estonian some 30 years ago. His translation of the book appeared in 2012 as Sailing Against the Wind. Kross, considered as a Nobel Prize for Literature candidate towards the end of his life was prolific, focusing on Estonians who had left their mark on his tory. Vastutuulelaev straddles the line between true history and historical fiction. Very well researched, it is the story of opticist Bernhard Schmidt, born on Naissaar toward the end of the 19th century. From a young age he was interested in astro nomy and optics, ending up spending the bulk of his work ing career in Germany. The title of the book refers to a non- astronomy invention, Schmidt figured out a way to sail against the wind, building a boat that could sail without having to tack, regardless of the direction from which the air movement came. Due to a teenaged fireworks mishap Schmidt lost his right hand. It is thus almost unbeliev able that he made his name as a
idea by bringing a ready-made program to dissidents with a plan to take power. In a word, I did a project that I carried out – the Proposal for ENIP, the program and the execution are my job. These 14 people who signed the Proposal must be considered heroes, because there was a deep Soviet time then, but they dared to sign it openly. People exchange views in the economy, in life, in politics, in religions. I’m the same poor wandering monk as before. I don’t care about the things I have done, but what I’m going to do. The most important thing is always the idea, the construc tion is built around it, and then people are need to implement it. These dozen people who signed the Proposal, had to be active team in dealing with it. When the Deer Park was held and MRP AEG said it was necessary to disclose the MRP pact, I thought why they wanted to force the government to dis close the secret pact because it was not a political step? It was an attempt by timid people to ask the authorities to recognize the existence of this pact. It
does nothing. I found that the MRP AEG group is not capable to implement independence. I made a party myself and made it public in Moscow because nobody knew or dared to do it.
lens and mirror polisher, this with but one hand advancing greatly the astronomical tele scope. Indeed his perhaps most famous lens, known as the Big Schmidt is still in use at the world-renowned Mount Palo mar Observatory in California.
over a year in Estonia, making the acquaintance of Kross and many other prominent literary figures. Dickens’ focus was on prose, but he has some poetry translations to his credit. The list of authors that he has trans lated is formidable – many Kross works, also Mati Unt, Friedebert Tuglas and Toomas Vint among others captured his attention.
Schmidt worked in Germany during an especially tense time in history, the inter-war period. He had concerns about working in a country that was rearming. His conscience troubled him, as he knew of the potential mili tary applications of telescopes. Kross in the original applies important social commentary, not only about the rise of fas cism but with regard to the hyperinflation of the time, triggered by punitive post WW I financial demands as well as the Great Depression. Dickens’ translation is quite frankly exquisite for a man who chanced upon Estonian purely by accident. Educated in the UK Eric Dickens first concen trated on Swedish, even moving to Uppsala to live and work. While in Finland he noticed Estonian literature in a book store and was fascinated by the language. Self-taught, he spent
I would put up Patarei prison again and put the Communists in there for serving and collabo rating with the occupants. They were the golden elite of the Soviets then and are the same now. Estonian people have a memory of pike, it strikes me. I wouldn’t have put Arnold Ryytel, who speaks Russian with mistakes and doesn’t speak English at all, back to presi dential chair. But apparently his IQ is higher than the average Estonian. There is no political memory or thinking in Estonia either for the government or for the people. The only one who was able to come together after the Proposal for ENIP was the Communist Party. I was silent and waited 30 years to see what was happening with ENIP, and it went as always. The Estonian people had adhered to the com munists.”
With Sailing he truly cap tures the elegant writing of Kross. Most notably the medita tion on national identity that was Schmidt’s constant com panion, torn between his roots, his beloved Naissaar and the practical reality of needing to work abroad. The translation was for this reader almost like a new work. While recognizing the faithfulness to the original I resisted the temptation to make a comparison between the Estonian and the English, not wishing to lessen the pleasure of rereading a wonderful book in a different language. Estonians have always appre ciated translators. I read many of the world’s classics from Tolstoy to Verne and Hašek, Cooper in Estonian as a youth.
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E. Genes affect more than Soviet education Vaartnou:”When I was a little boy, I was told that by legal continuity I am also a citi zen of the first Republic of Estonia and that the citizen’s oath extends to me as well. About the fact that my parents and grandparents were honest and decent Estonian citizens, I was informed by the KGB investigator Movtshan, who said that I grew up in an anti- Soviet family, and I am a product of my family, and that genes affect me more than Soviet education and propaganda. In 1987, after the Deer Park gathering I decided to start a political opposition party The Christian church lived with the KGB and therefore the Budd hists were the cleanest boys to do it. If I had just done a party somewhere behind the corner, I would just have been shut down. But I took into account that the Soviet leaders were afraid of the Western press, that perestroika was going on and Western society’s opinion was very important for Moscow. So I decided to make a press con ference for foreign journalists. In September 1987, I wrote a program how the Estonian Republic would work on the principle of free trade, and which also included points on the Communists – not to let them into politics and the top communists should be to punished for their collaboration with the occupying powers.” (to be continued)
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Since 1957 the Loomingu Raa matukogu has published books that provided access to great works in other languages. Dickens was a remarkable translator. Born to an English/ Dutch couple he translated from Dutch, Swedish and Finnish beyond his notable Estonian oeuvre, which was his primary translation language. Polish was another language that he learned, noting that it was, for him more difficult than Russian. Translators serve an impor tant role in disseminating, intro ducing a culture, inducing people to read and learn about, as Dickens discovered in Helsinki languages that other wise they might never consider as highly literary. The unfor tunate early passing of Eric Dickens means that others will have to step up, fill the void. For the nonce we have in the Toronto public library system a number of Dickens’ translations for those more comfortable reading in English rather than the Estonian original. Sailing is recommended, sure to educate and entertain as great literature, great translation should and does here. TÕNU NAELAPEA
