Sinijärv praises Osolin’s comic police duck and Tallinn architecture book

National Library cultural adviser Karl Martin Sinijärv recommends two books, praising Olav Osolin’s comic writing and Karin Hallas-Murula’s study of Tallinn architecture, ERR reported.

Karin Hallas-Murula, “Baltic German architecture in Tallinn: Rudolf Knüpffer (1831–1900)”

“I have lived among these buildings all my life and for most of that time I never thought about them at all. Just random buildings, ordinary urban space, my old familiar city. The Old Town and the capital,” Sinijärv writes.

He recalls exploring Tallinn’s Old Town as a child, walking on roofs and touching the walls of towers such as Maiden’s Tower, Sauna Tower and Stable Tower. Suburban houses and some other impressive buildings, however, escaped his childhood notice.

Sinijärv says those buildings now appear more striking when viewed with a more experienced eye. More than 150 structures designed by Knüpffer are still standing, although most have been lost.

He says he spent three and a half hours reading the book carefully and later looked through its pictures as well. “If you are even slightly from Tallinn, buy it and read it,” Sinijärv writes. “If you are the mayor of Tallinn, I hope you have already read it.”

Olav Osolin, “The duck flies into politics”

Sinijärv says Osolin’s duck has already taken flight several times, and he hopes the character still has room to develop.

“Olav has stepped away from advertising, gathered his money and started facing the world. There is whisky in the cupboard and money in the account, so he can joke,” Sinijärv writes. “Joking comes naturally to him.”

He calls Police Officer Duck one of the funniest characters in Estonian literature and says the books are becoming increasingly entertaining.

Although Osolin has said that the Duck series is now over, Sinijärv hopes that is not the case. In his view, no good character is ever truly finished, and the Duck still needs refining.

Sinijärv also encourages Osolin to tell younger people interesting stories about earlier times, including the eras of the bands Yes and Genesis. He says the existence of intelligent, wealthy older men should be justified by passing their memories and heritage on to the next generation.

“But for now, the Duck is still flying. Even into politics,” Sinijärv concludes.