Harri Asi: “Verses from the unsung”, illustrated by the author. Printed in Canada by Blitzprint, 2002, 169 pg.

One has not to be surprised why Harri Asi switched from writing in Estonian to the English language. There wasn't much else of an option. More than 3 decades ago Asi moved from Toronto to Calgary. While living in Toronto his work had been rejected by the two Estonian Publishing Houses.

I have known him since 1957 when I came to Toronto from Sweden. At that time he had published 3 well-received poetry books but his publisher - “Orto” owner Andres Laur - promptly rejected a manuscript, because “poetry doesn't sell”. After that he submitted the manuscript to the Writers Cooperative in Sweden. The story repeated and he was rejected because he wasn't on the preferred autors list. At the time he was one of our most acclaimed younger poets alongside Kalju Lepik, Raimond Kolk, Ivar Grünthal and Arved Viirlaid.

Pretty soon it was obvious that Asi was not the only one on the list because there were several others writers like Hannes Oja, Salme Ekbaum, Elmar Pettai and Arnold Mändla who had to publish their work at their own expense. Asi followed suit. His 4th volume of poetry “Heiastused” (Reflexions) of 1959 and the next, “Epigrammid või kaks grammi eepikat” (Epigrams, or two grams of epopees) of 1960 were published under the “Libra” label. The last one in particular made the “Cooperative's” people angry. The only book review I ever have seen appeared in “Mana”, in which the artist Endel Kõks extolled Aksel Tamme's illustrations but said very little about the epigrams.

The period 1951-75 was a boom time for Estonian publishing houses here in exile. There were three main ones: “Orto”, “Cooperative” and “Vaba Eesti”. The latter published mainly modern Estonian Classics and a few poetry books, provided the author paid the expenses. It also published, with the help of the Swedish Academy prof. Andrus Saareste's “Eesti Mõisteline Sõnaraamat” or The Dictionary of Estonian Synonyms. At that time people who had managed to escape from oncoming Red Army 1944 had settled in their respective countries, had steady work and could afford to buy such books.

Mana emerges

The literary magazine “Mana” emerged after the “Cooperative” rejected Ivar Grünthal's poetry book “Müüdid mülka põhja kadunud maast” (Mythos from the bottom of the abyss”) [1953]. It took Grünthal 3 years to establish “Mana”, which first appeared in 1957, and was mainly supported by the generation born 1925-35. The “Cooperative”, headed by Bernhard Kangro, claimed their “Tulimuld” to be the only literary magazine here in exile. Aarand Roos sharply rejected that claim.

“Mana”, however, moved from Sweden to North America in 1965. The new editor and publisher Hellar Grabbi lived in the USA but the magazine was printed here in Toronto. Some poets like Urve Karuks, Tiit Lehtmets, Ilona Laaman, Jyri Kork, Aarand Roos, Imps Mikiver and Eduard Krants became contributors. These were younger poets, who were ignored by the “Cooperative” while certain authors like Helmi Mäelo and Arvo Mägi were allotted up to 5000 pages each to produce stuff of nominal literary value. The same thing must be said of Bernhard Kangro's 12 poetry books, which were merely self-repeating.

Self-publishing the answer
That was the literary scene here in exile when Harri Asi had saved up enough money to think of publishing his novel “Pärast plahvatust”, (After the explosion), in 1967. At that point Harri Asi and Hellar Grabbi encouraged me to pull forth my already forgotten manuscript of my poetry book “Tungalterad” (Ergots) that I had submitted 3 times to the “Cooperative” (1954-56). I added a few new poems and it was published almost alongside with Asi's “Pärast plahvatust” under the “Libra” imprimatur.

Soon after publication Asi presented a reading of his new poetry and an exhibition of his art at the St. Peter's church basement on Mount Pleasant. We both were surprised when Mr. Laur showed up, with the impudence of Persona non Grata. He said to Asi - “I made a poet out of you.” Harri said nothing in response, but added later as an aside - “That old Jack-Ass still has some nerve.” A few years later everybody knew that “Pärast plahvatust” and Asi’s next poetry book “Öölille Laul” (Song of Night Flowering, 1970) received the prestigious Henrik Visnapuu award.

During the next 30 years Harri Asi started to write in the English language. Now he has made a selection of some 140 poems and published them in a nice-looking volume, “verses from the unsung”. It is divided into 4 cycles and illustrated by Harri’s own artworks. The first one is called “Self-observations”. It seems remarkably close to the mood in which he may have felt himself in after receiving rejections slips from 2 publishers. “...I am a fallen star // my glitter is buried forever // among woods of kelp // in the sargasso sea” and adds to it, almost in the same breath “...if I never make a mistake // I made nothing.” He is sure that what he never lost can't be found. Anyhow, the Sea of Life has everything, in which “...some fish are my angels // some are my concubines // in an underwater harem”. In other words, let's start again, but this time in the English language.


In the second cycle, “Images”, Asi states that outside Ego's Dreamland is the reality where “... stone age prayers won't solve the sisyphus dilemma // that goddamn stone still comes rolling down”. Here the poet’s senses awake and his sense of smell has become the prototype of his thought. Those ugly things like pollution, advertising, world-politics, violence and ignorance can't escape the poet’s acid wit: “Truly the odor of modern times is disgusting.” Asi suggests that the world needs a surrealistic Nostradamus who said that the “UN will promote saddam hussein // to a condom salesman in india”, // and send “eskimo generals to bosnia //to cool hot tribal feuds with an iceberg.”

The third section of the book lends it its title, “verses from the unsung”. These all are common things that we see, but never fully understand. This might be easily the Muse herself explaining in unexpected ways. Consider these lines: .“...I have overheard a tree // explaining to the wind // how to play his leafy keyboard” or “... I understand the fishhead slang // of screaming seagulls// and crows cursing the wind in crow.” where the word “crow” appears in the double meaning “extol”. Or “... out of the green blood of grass // I can create a cow // and translate oats into a horse// out of pollen over the wheat field.”

Although written in English, it could be easily read as an Estonian poem. The same thing can be said of Harri Asi himself. He still is an Estonian poet.
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(Note: Harri Asi’s collection “verses from the unsung” is now available in Toronto from the estore in the Toronto Estonian House, or by arrangement through Estonian Life. For those interested in his earlier Estonian language work, some good news. An agreement has been reached with publishers in Estonia that will see a second printing of “Pärast plahvatust” and a complete collection of his Estonian language poetry published there in the near future.)

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