Sinijärv recommends Paasilinna for a journey into deep Finland

National Library culture adviser Karl Martin Sinijärv has recommended works by Pantokraator, Boris Vildé and Arto Paasilinna in his latest book column, ERR reports.

Pantokraator, William Shakespeare’s Sonnets (2026)

Sinijärv treats this release as a handsome hardback book that comes with a charming audio disc, rather than simply as a music album with an unusually substantial booklet. Setting Shakespeare to Estonian progressive rock may seem ambitious, he writes, but the result sounds both grand and sincere. Any effort to make literary classics audible and visible is worthwhile.

A version in the original language is expected the year after next. Sinijärv notes that even establishing exactly how the language was pronounced at the time takes work. Shakespeare remains one of the most reinterpreted writers in the world, he adds, and there is still plenty to discover in his sonnets. Pantokraator, with more than 40 years in Estonian rock, continues to change and surprise.

Boris Vildé, Prison diary and letters: 1941–1942 (2026)

Sinijärv says book recommenders should regularly draw attention to the Loomingu Raamatukogu book series, which publishes frequently. He also praises afterwords, noting that Marek Tamm’s afterword makes up nearly half the book’s pages. He recommends reading it first to provide context for Vildé’s writings.

Vildé’s story, with some Estonian background and a wider international dimension, is rich and intriguing, Sinijärv writes. It could provide abundant material for a film or television series. Vildé’s prison writings are brief, precise and cover a great deal. In one entry he writes: “I discover Baudelaire. Translated into Russian and prose, it would produce Dostoevsky.” In another, he notes that he received no books the previous day, but did get the Pariser Zeitung, which reported a war between Japan and the United States: “It promises to be a fine massacre.” Sinijärv adds: “And it was.”

Arto Paasilinna, The Dear Poisoner (2026)

Paasilinna can always take readers into a distinctive “deep Finland”, Sinijärv writes. This novel takes place nearly 40 years in the past, though some things change only slowly. Reading Finnish literature is heartwarming, and Paasilinna can make readers laugh out loud while also prompting reflection. He has a rare gift for turning the absurdities of life into something unbelievable yet convincing.

Drawing broad conclusions about Finland and Finns from Paasilinna’s work alone could lead readers into a bog, Sinijärv cautions. But at his best, the author brings readers close to the heart of Finnishness and guarantees a good mood, even when telling completely mad stories.