Some observations about Estonian literary histories published in exile

Abstract

This article is about Estonian literary histories that were written and published in exile between years 1944-1991 by Estonian writers and scholars. The aim of this article is to introduce Estonian literary histories published in exile as multifaceted cultural texts that are arranging the literary practise, convey the cultural self-consciousness and at the same time are mirroring the cultural situations in which they are written and published. I will describe and analyse the Estonian literary histories published in exile by exile Estonians as cultural texts which are mirroring the cultural processes taking place in the exile community between years 1944-1991. The theoretical background of my article rises mainly from Tartu-Moscow school and its observations about cultural dynamics and autocommunication.