Ivar Ivask. Tähtede tähendust tunda. Jüri Talvet, ed. Tartu. Ilmamaa. 2003. 568 pages. ISBN 9985-77-077-3

A unique polyglot, a leading figure in the literary world community of the Seventies and Eighties, an enthusiastic spokesman for Baltic and Estonian writers both in Estonia and in emigration — Ivar Ivask accumulated an impressive body of critical writings and poetry during his regrettably too short life-time (1927-92).

The book under review, a voluminous collection of his work, published last year in Estonia and entitled “To Know the Meaning of Stars (or: Letters) (a wordplay on the Estonian homonym “tähed”), represents probably only the first half of a two-volume opus.

In essence, “To Know” reprints more than thirty of Ivasks's critical essays and analyses as an effort to familiarize the post-cold war Estonian public with the dimensions of the work of an important compatriot in emigration. Two thirds of the selections address problems of Estonian poetry. The last third exemplifies Ivask's range of interests in mostly German and Russian themes.

But it would be wrong to label Ivask an emigré writer. He was born in Latvia, studied in Germany, lived in the USA and died in Ireland. Estonian was the preferred language of his poems but Estonia was never his home. Ivar Ivask was a veritable representative of the global intellectual commonwealth.

As editor-in-chief (1967-91) of the quarterly “World Literature Today” (formerly “Books Abroad”), he put Estonian and the other Baltic literatures on the world map. As organizer of the Puterbaugh conferences, he brought important French and Spanish writers together with American critics. As chairman of the Neustadt prize jury, he helped numerous important writers to world-fame, in some cases anticipating their subsequent Nobel prize. Thanks to these activities, the international reputation of Oklahoma University which had hired him in 1967 to head its Department of Modern Languages rose to unprecendented levels.

However, as the editor of “To Know” rightfully emphasizes, one of the most important functions of Ivask's internationalism was the continuous and penetrating exposure WLT gave to Baltic literatures in its current criticism sections during the Soviet era, for nearly a quarter century.

The moral value of this practice was immeasurable. Honest writers in Soviet Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania knew that, through WLT, they were assured honest critique in a global forum and their stature in the world of letters was by no means dependent on the contortions of domestic party-line judges.

It is deeply rewarding to see this function now duly recognized by the editors of “To Know the Meaning of Stars”.

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