Eesti Kirjanik 2025 festival focuses on prolific women authors
The Eesti Kirjanik 2025 festival takes place Saturday, focused on contemporary Estonian authors.
This is the 15th time the event has been held, and this year's festival, at the Juhan Liiv Museum in Alatskivi, on the shores of Peipsi järv, has been dubbed "Naiste voli," literally "Women's free rein."
Estonian literature has in recent years seen a series of strong and distinctive works by female authors.
Historical novels such as Lilli Luuk's "Ööema" (2024) and Eva Koff's "Õhuskõndija," (2025) portray compelling female characters facing complex life choices.
In her debut novel "Tantsi tolm põrandast," released this year, Kairi Look examines a coming-of-age story of a girl, experimenting with a sparse style of expression.
Poet Berit Petolai conveys a distinctive experience of being a woman and a mother, and of moving through life in step with nature, in her collection "Hele, tuisklev ja nimetu," published this spring. The authors will be interviewed by Mari Niitra, the museum's director.
The festival's tagline originates from a master's thesis by poet and folklorist Kristiina Ehin, who says we are indeed currently living in a time of women's free rein, though whether it is the end or the beginning, only time will tell.
Men will be getting their say too. Kaur Riismaa is to present his recently novel competition-winning manuscript "Väsinud valguse teooria;" while there is likely also to be talk of Riismaa's award-winning alter ego Nora Maria London.
A panel discussion featuring literary scholar Johanna Ross, journalist Valner Valme, and Juhan Liiv Museum director Mari Niitra, will debate the question of women in literature and life. They will explore the unique aspects of literature by women, the criteria for its evaluation, and the relevance of the women's issue in contemporary Estonia.
The event will feature readings by young members of the Estonian writers' union (Eesti Kirjanike Liit), musical commentary by the Sensational Tartu Spring Band, the Writer of the Year award, a notebook crafting workshop with Iris Järg, children's activities from the Peipsiääre Municipality Central Library, book sales, Turkish-style delicacies from NGO Satu Dialoog supporting a charity for Ugandan orphans, and a smoke sauna in the evening, along with discussions on women's literature in today's Estonia.
The 15th Eesti Kirjanik festival takes place on Saturday, August 9
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Rasmus Kuningas
