OBOC - #50 - Estonia

I have reached a minor milestone. This is the 50th country for me as part of OBOC and this also wraps up the E's. Overall I am happy that I have kept it up - both the reading and the writing although I should pick up my pace if I intend to complete this project before I hit that milestone :)

I picked "The Czar's Madman" by Jaan Kross for Estonia as it was often cited as the most famous novel from Estonia! The novel which is set in the 1880s is about a nobleman Timo Von Bock whose life is analyzed by his brother-in-law Jakob. The novel is written like a journal - Jakob's journal. Timo married Jakob's sister Eeva who is a peasant girl to prove to everyone that all men (and women) are created equal in the eyes of the God and class differences are just artificial. Eeva who is rechristened as Katy proves to be a fine choice indeed as she shows uncommon character, class and intelligence thereby validating Timo's theory. Their life is suddenly interrupted as Timo is arrested for being a traitor and is thrown into prison by Czar Alexander. After 9 years he is "released" from prison but placed under house arrest on the grounds that he is "mad". The reason for his imprisonment is a letter that Timo wrote criticizing the Czar about the way he runs the country. Writing such a letter which is brutally frank can be the act of only a "madman".

Jakob attempts to understand Timo to determine if he is indeed mad. Although together they plot his escape from house arrest many times, Timo refuses to flee. Was he a highly principled nobleman or was he truly mad? This is the question that Jakob (and hence the reader) is left with.


I love historical fiction as I find it is one of the easiest way to get into history! So i was all eager to read this novel, but I didn't get as much pleasure out of it as I have derived from other works of historical fiction. Firstly having no background on Estonia and its relationship with Russia, it was a bit difficult to get into. Secondly, after a point the writing seemed repetitive and drawn out. The Afterword provides some explanation on the historical accuracy of the novel. I should say I loved the character of Eeva though and it was beautifully done by the author! The novel which was written in 1978 is also a metaphor for life under the Soviets. This is Kross's letter to Brezhnev highlighting how poorly the Communist Party was running Soviet Union! History does repeat itself after all!