Translator calls Meri’s Hõbevalge an invaluable Estonian treasure

Translator Adam Cullen has described Lennart Meri’s Hõbevalge as a “great map” and an invaluable treasure for Estonians, ERR reported from a reception in the president’s rose garden.

Cullen translated the book into English. The Estonian edition was published 50 years ago this year.

“Very few people may have read the whole text to the end, but everyone has started. I started once too and got to page 124 before I began reading it again in order to translate it,” Cullen said.

He said Hõbevalge remained an important guide for Estonians not only when it was published, but also today and in the future.

Cullen also said the Estonian expression “ei viitsi” was the most difficult phrase to translate into English. He described it as a deep and broad feeling, “permeated by the wind,” and one of the most beautiful and distinctive Estonian emotions, although it has a negative meaning.