The Other Estonian Language: Preserving and Promoting Võro
North Estonian came to dominate in the 19th century and became the basis for modern standard Estonian, while South Estonian declinedContinue Reading →
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Bridges of Time: How Baltic “Poetic Documentaries” Exposed Soviet Reality
"They helped audiences to learn to see... not only to watch, but to see. To see and think and read between the lines."Continue Reading →
How Baltic Refugees Returned from North American Exile to Lead their Countries
“My parents fled terror in Estonia in World War Two, which is why I have this accent.”Continue Reading →
“Kas ir Hipsteri?” – Changing Times in a Small Latvian City
Cēsis has changed rather a lot in the last few years, probably more than any other single town in Latvia, and the best place to get the measure of these…Continue Reading →
Britain and the Baltics 2 – …to Peep Show
"We consider [the Soviet Union and Russia] to be synonymous, don't we?"Continue Reading →
Britain and the Baltics 1: From Pepys…
"Hee vanquished the armie of the king of Lettowe, with the captiuitie of foure Lithuanian Dukes and the slaughter of three..."Continue Reading →
Why You Will Almost Definitely Have to Change Your Name When Speaking Latvian
“If I said Will, it would sound like I had suddenly said something in a foreign language”.Continue Reading →
The Forgotten Minority: Latvia’s Poles Through Independence and Occupation
In the chaotic years after the Russian Revolution and the country’s withdrawal from World War I, Latvia and Poland became natural allies against both Russia and GermanyContinue Reading →
The Benefits of Being Baltic
Estonian and Latvian history over the last few hundred years has, in its broad outlines, been almost identicalContinue Reading →
Viljandi: A Jewel of a Town in Deepest Estonia
Viljandi would be my choice for the most attractive country town in Estonia, a nation that rather specialises in attractive country townsContinue Reading →
“The Capital of Empty Spaces”: Dealing with the Shrinking of the Great Baltic City
Since the restoration of Latvia’s independence in 1991, Riga has shrunk by more than 25%.Continue Reading →
Proof of Existence: Discovering Latvia through Exile Literature
This book was an attempt at a cogito ergo sum for the free Latvian nation: proof to the outside world that there was a country called Latvia, that Russia did…Continue Reading →