The first English translation of this central work of Estonian nonfiction, marking the profound importance in world history of this small nation and its people.
Lennart Meri (1929-2006) was a traveller, writer and documentary filmmaker, and Estonian president from 1992 to 2001. His father being a diplomat, he was schooled in Paris and Berlin. When the Soviet Union occupied Estonia in 1940, his family was first imprisoned, then deported to Siberia; they survived against all odds, and returned after the Second World War. Meri strove relentlessly to articulate and defend Soviet-occupied Estonia's interests, and worked to restore the nation's sovereignty. His ten books and six ethnological films had an impact echoing across the Iron Curtain. On publication in 1976, Silverwhite quickly became a popular and central work of Estonian literature.
Adam Cullen (b. 1986) is a poet and translator of Estonian literature into English. His translation of Martin Algus's short story 'The Lion', adapted as a radio play and broadcast on BBC Radio 4, earned a special commendation for Prix Europa's 'Best European Radio Fiction of the Year' (2022), and won the BBC Audio Drama Award for Best European Drama. His translation of Kai Aareleid's novel Burning Cities was longlisted for the 2020 Dublin Literary Award. Originally from Minnesota, Cullen has lived in Estonia since 2007.
