The depiction of Russians in post-war Estonian literature

Abstract

The Second World War had a major impact on Estonian society and culture. Estonia was one of the states that lost its independence and Estonian literature was split into two parts: Soviet Estonian literature and Estonian exile literature. These were absolutely different, notably in the second half of the 1940s and in the first half of the 1950s. Literature was an ideological weapon in Soviet Estonia, but exile literature concentrated on the question of nationality and the fate of Estonians. The article analyses Estonian prose fiction depicting the events of the Second World War, concentrating on the depiction of Russians, using the branch of comparative literature called imagology, or image studies. The period under observation is the second half of the 1940s and the 1950s. Estonian exile literature concentrates on the traumatic historical events and the sufferings of Estonians, while Soviet Estonian literature emphasized the ideological aspect; it was mandatory to praise everything Soviet and / or Russian. Neither in Soviet Estonian literature nor in Estonian exile literature is the psychological aspect present in the depiction of Russians. The role of Russians in the two literatures is diametrically opposed: in exile literature they are seen as the enemy responsible for the loss of independence, but in Soviet Estonian literature they are seen as heroes who helped to liberate Estonia from the Nazis. The majority of the Russian characters depicted are soldiers. In Estonian exile literature they are depicted as extremely negative, while in Soviet Estonian literature the Russians are seen as extremely positive. Historical events and the socio-political background played crucial roles in the development of these images.