Mart Meri speaks about Silverwhite in his father’s life — ERR News
In Tallinn, Estonia, philologist Mart Meri said that the themes of his father Lennart Meri’s book Silverwhite remained important to him until the end of his life and were reflected even in presidential speeches. This year marks 50 years since the book’s publication, and an exhibition of the same name has opened at Seaplane Harbour in Tallinn, ERR News reports.
According to Mart Meri, his father’s curiosity was one of the prerequisites for the book’s creation. Silverwhite combined themes of geography, history, seafaring, agriculture, botany and zoology. He recalled that Lennart Meri often worked at night: when his son left for school at eight in the morning, the author might only then notice that the night had already passed.
Historians’ reaction
The book, published in 1976, sparked controversy in academic circles. According to Mart Meri’s recollections, the Institute of History likely organized a literary trial of Silverwhite to criticize the work. Despite advice not to attend the meeting, Lennart Meri arrived late, sat in the front row and looked at the speaker, after which the latter stopped his harsh criticism.
At the same time, while working on the book, Lennart Meri consulted Estonian and foreign scholars about his own hypotheses. His son noted that the author combined a historical education with a writer’s freedom. Mart Meri also suggested that the detailed and complex text may ultimately have made the work of censorship in Soviet Estonia more difficult.
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Pytheas and reissues
According to his son, the most important theme of Silverwhite for Lennart Meri was the story of the ancient Greek traveler Pytheas. During discussions of a possible reissue, the author proposed removing “ballast” from the book but keeping Pytheas. Mart Meri called this storyline the most dramatic and expressive in the work.
Eight years after Silverwhite, Lennart Meri published Silverwhiter, which he considered the introduction and first chapter of the previous book. Later, both texts were published under one cover. In 2005, Lennart and Mart Meri, together with Urmas Sutrop, discussed a new edition, but after the author’s death they decided not to shorten or restructure the texts on their own.
Mart Meri cited an example of his father’s speech in Sweden, where he mentioned the Kaali crater, Pytheas, Saaremaa and the wind, and also called on Swedish scholars to support new archaeological excavations near Kaali. Next year, audiences will be presented with a feature film by director Martti Helde.
