Andres and Pearu to open 10th Literature Street Festival

Estonia’s 10th Literature Street Festival will open with a performance featuring the 100-year-old Andres and Pearu, ERR reports. The festival will take place on Koidula Street in Kadriorg on September 12, with more than 60 book presentations, discussions, poetry readings, recordings, quizzes and other events.

Actors Hendrik Toompere and Andrus Vaarik will portray Andres and Pearu as they look at each other in confusion and try to understand what has changed over the past century, festival director Maarja Vaino said.

The performance was created by Riho Unt and Johanna Unt, with Reigo Ahven accompanying it on drums. It will launch both the autumn celebrations marking the anniversary of the first volume of “Truth and Justice” and the festival’s own smaller anniversary.

A pre-festival event on September 11 will mark the unveiling of a plaque to Mats Traat at Lauteri 8. On the festival day, visitors can explore Tuglas’ world-ending island, take a horse-drawn carriage ride themed around “The Milkman of Mäeküla” and see costumes representing characters from Heljo Mänd’s famous “Bear Primer”.

The main programme will focus on established classics as well as a particularly large number of young authors, Vaino said. New books by Urmas Vadi, Mart Kivastik, Eia Uus, Vladislav Koržets and Maarja-Liis Möld­er will be presented. Jim Ashilevi, Mehis Heinsaar, Mudlum, Doris Kareva and others will discuss their books, while Joonas Veelmaa, Eik and young authors from the literary magazine Värske Rõhk will present their work.

The festival will also feature its traditional veranda concert, with Mari Kalkun performing this year. Theatres will introduce their programmes for the new season, and the Katariina Jee library bus will be present.

Children will have two dedicated areas, one near the Tammsaare Museum and another near the Vilde Museum. Visitors can meet Sipsik and Klaus, the travelling dog who is a friend of Lotte.

The festival will close with the Journey of the Red Umbrella, dedicated to the 120th anniversary of Betti Alver’s birth, followed by a poetry picnic beside the swan pond. This year’s picnic is dedicated to Viivi Luik, who will read poetry that is important to her. Kersti Kreismann will perform Luik’s work, with music by Tõnis Mägi.

“When we launched the festival 10 years ago, we could not have imagined that it would become such an independent and beloved phenomenon,” Vaino said.