Eno Raud (1928–1996)

Known for their wisdom and sage advice, the male Gothamites of Turkeyland find themselves leaving their own country one by one, lured away by the kings and rulers of other nations, and made into counselors in these foreign lands. When their women see how matters stand, they demand that the men come home and stay there. Worried about how to accomplish this, without offending the kings who have given them employment, the Gothamites come up with a plan: they will become such fools, that no one would ever seek their advice again. And so it goes, as the Gothamites become a byword for silly stupidity, building town halls without windows, and sowing salt in a field, in order raise a salt crop...

When I saw that Elsewhere Editions, the new children's book imprint of Archipeligo Books, based in Brooklyn, New York, was bringing out one of Estonian children's author Eno Raud's books in English, I was quite excited. I read Raud's The Adventures of Sipsik, a classic of Estonian children's literature originally published in 1962, some years ago, and have been curious about the author's other work ever since. The Gothamites marks the first time that Raud has been translated into English here in the states, as all previous translations, that I am aware of, occurred in Estonia (or the Soviet Union) itself. I was intrigued moreover, by the title here, as it seems to reference the English folk legend concerning the Wise Men of Gotham, in which a village avoids a royal visit by feigning imbecility. I found myself wondering whether a similar tale existed in the Estonian tradition, or whether perhaps the translator simply chose the name of the book because of the similar theme of the two stories.

However that may be (and I am still not sure of the answer to either of those questions), in the end I found The Gothamites quite a let down. Perhaps my expectations were simply too high, or perhaps I simply wasn't in the right frame of mind to be receptive to the humor of the story here, but I found myself largely unamused by and uninterested in the narrative, despite being aware that it was meant to be funny. In fact, I had to force myself to finish the book, which almost never happens. Formatted like a picture-book, it is more like a novella, text-wise, although there are full-page illustrations as well, from Priit Pärn. Unfortunately, I didn't find the artwork any more appealing than the tale, making this one a title I simply didn't enjoy. Tastes vary of course, so if readers are interested in stories about fools (there is an entire category of folklore devoted to this kind of tale), or in Estonian children's literature, they might want to give this one a try.… (lisätietoja)