Day after day effective news arrives, so much so that at the beginning of December the counters will be full of tempting things. Here the red-cheeked elves have fun in the snowy forest or the cute little animals gather around the fir tree. Children also do one good deed after another in the Christmas book, and their parents continue cooking, shopping or smiling. This is both wonderful and super cute, as well as cheesy and repetitive.
However, he doesn’t tend to complain about excessive sweetness or once-a-year romance. It’s still Christmas, they say. And in fact there is not the slightest reason to complain, because alongside the works that offer the pure Christmas spirit, books are gradually appearing in which it is also possible to have a slightly different image of Christmas.
“A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens (illustrated by Lisa Aisato, translated by Jüri Kolk, publishing house Rahva Raamat 2023) has become a symbol of the classic Christmas story in its simplicity and learning. The book was first published in 1843 and was written to draw attention to the plight of children growing up in poor London neighborhoods. The fact that the work was successful is still known throughout the world today. The book was also published in Estonia in 1998 and 2001, both times, admittedly, in adapted form.
Now, however, the work has received a new contemporary translation and an attractive look. The main character of the book, as we know, is Ebenezer Scrooge, a businessman who acts only for economic gain. On Christmas Eve, he sees the spirit in the chains of his former business partner Marley, who, with the help of three assistants (the indicator of the past, present and future), pushes him to change his life until he is still possible. Scrooge realizes his defects: greed, carelessness and stubbornness, and tries to remedy them.
The book’s new illustrations were created by Lisa Aisato, a book artist living in Norway. She is unmistakably recognizable by her magical, imaginative and insightful handwriting. Featuring Aisato’s images and published in the same format, Dickens’ work forms a conceptual whole with the stories “Snow Nurse” (2019 edition) and “Päikesevalvaja” (2021 edition) written by Norwegian author Maja Lunde, which Aisato also illustrated.
The artist’s dark-toned, atmospheric and emotional images highlight the mystery and magic of Dickens’ story, while their modern pictorial language helps create a bridge for the young reader to this ancient world. For the same reason it is worth rejoicing at the new version of the translation of the tale from decades ago, because it places Dickens’s evergreen story in a modern linguistic and cultural context, through which it is easier to relate to the text.
In a way, the classic Christmas story is also by a German author Sommerby for the Life of Kirsten Boie (illustrated by Verena Körting, translated by Õie Ristioja, Vesta 2023 publishing house), which could be classified as representing the archetype. This is a new part of the Sommerby series, which has also become a success here. If “Summer in Sommerby” (2022) and “Back in Sommerby” (2023) depicted the summer and autumn holidays of the main characters, the older sister Martha and her younger brothers Mats and Mikkel, with their grandmother in the lonely Sommerby with telephone and l access to the Internet, in the current episode we go to the countryside to spend the Christmas holidays
Unlike previous times, parents also stay longer. However, since the mother’s opinions clash strongly with those of the grandmother, this creates the basis for much further tension. In fact, the mother likes to cuddle the children and protect them from the sad aspects of life, while the grandmother gives them more freedom and believes that they are capable of taking care of themselves and learning from the situations that arise. In addition to the different cultivation methods, the sale of the nearby Tüürimehesaari, the impending snowstorm and the power outage also cause anxiety. Furthermore, Martha can’t decide whether to choose the city boy Albert, who became her boyfriend somewhat by chance and to the dismay of her best friend, or remain faithful to the country boy Enes, whose feelings the girl has none of. never enough. From.
As each generation has its own struggles and trials in Sommerby, the book is perfect for the whole family to read. Both the youngest members of the family, teenagers and parents can find excitement here. Furthermore, Sommerby’s books have the wonderful habit of magically slowing down the surrounding speed and helping you escape the busy Christmas life of the city for a while. At the same time, this simple and natural life can hold many surprises for readers. Boie demonstrates that the food that reaches the table is not anonymous, that the value of the meal does not lie in the same dishes for all family members, but in being together, and that the dishes can also be washed in the sink and dried with a towel Decades old but still cute. The young reader will take all this knowledge from the text as if it went unnoticed.
The Finns have created a Christmas book that is completely different from the previous one Timo Parvela AND Pasi Pitkänen. The first part of the Shadow series, “Kõlin”, translated into Estonian last year, recently received sequels “Auroria” and “Krampus” (translated by Triin Aimla-Laid, Helios publishing house, 2022-2023). The starting point of the events of the series is thirteen-year-old Pete’s request to Santa Claus to heal his best friend Sara, who is suddenly and seriously ill. The boy knows that the prayer addressed to the fake Santa Claus at the mall during Advent will most likely not come true, but he is so desperate that he uses up every last drop.
However, when the elf Elpiö appears in Pete’s room at night and wants the boy’s shadow in exchange for fulfilling his wish, the boy is surprised. He hesitates for a moment, but after a while things are fine: Sara is more important than the shadow, which really doesn’t make a big difference, Pete thinks. But the hoped-for success does not arrive and, as events evolve, it becomes clear that to take back one’s shadow, having also given up pop sneakers and the latest cell phone model, one must go to Auroria, a Christmas land where elves, stowaways, trolls and giants argued with each other.
The Shadows series strongly echoes today’s circumstances. The refugee crisis and climate threats, difficult economic conditions and the desire to drown oneself in things, feeling marginalized and seeking recognition, helping the weak and asserting oneself, manipulating the masses and the importance of the perception of the past are just some of the topics covered in the book.
However, the story is not pure pathos, but rather full of wit and humor. Touching the boundaries of different genres in this way, the story presents itself as a frenetic thriller that alternates fantasy and reality in a fascinating way, intertwining different places and points of view. Alongside all this, however, the true message of Christmas stands out: love and compassion for the surrounding world and all its inhabitants.
Hopefully the next few days off will offer some time to read books, be they about Christmas or otherwise, as well as spending time outdoors and a busy holiday schedule.
2023-12-09 13:23:00
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