The rarity of the languages and the remoteness of the region make for exotic reading
Interview with Edward Nawotka
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With combined populations of six million in an area roughly equal to Illinois, the trio of Baltic states can be easily overlooked. Yet the unusual historic and cultural relationships of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to the West and the East make for fascination, not insignificance. All three Baltic states are members of the European Union as well as NATO and can boast some of the very highest levels of digital infrastructure anywhere.
In April, organizers of the London Book Fair celebrated Baltic literature and publishing as part of the 2018 Market Focus program. Author appearances and panel discussions highlighted achievements across many genres. Earlier this year, journalist Edward Nawotka traveled across the Baltic states, and returned to write and edit a sweeping survey of contemporary Baltic regional literature for Publishers Weekly. He discovered how the rarity of the languages and the remoteness of the region make for exotic reading.
“I think each of the countries aligns itself politically and culturally somewhat differently, though they have a relationship. The Estonians often think of themselves as much more closely aligned with the Nordic countries. They would consider themselves closer in relations, for example, to the Finns. The Latvians often had a collegial relationship with their neighbors, Germany and Russia certainly. And the Lithuanians shared an empire at one point in history with Poland, so that’s where their loyalties and their cultural affinities lie,” he tells CCC’s Chris Kenneally.
