Traumast romaanini - Salme ekbaumi romaani "Ristitants" žanr, poeetika ja ajalooline kontekst
From trauma to novel - The genre, poetics and historical background of Salme Ekbaum’s novel Ristitants (Dancing around the Cross)

Summary/Abstract: The article discusses the documentary novel Ristitants by Estonian exile writer Salme Ekbaum (1912-1994), published in Sweden in 1970. The novel was inspired by the visit to Toronto by Soviet Estonian author Rudolf Sirge in September 1964, and its repercussions on Salme Ekbaum, her husband and several other local intellectuals. The events later called the (R.) Sirge affair had a traumatic effect not only on Salme Ekbaum, but also on the whole Estonian community of Toronto, giving rise to splits and conflicts that did not abate for many years. The aim of the article is to explain how the author understands and interprets the documentary novel as a genre that was new both in Estonian and English literature in the mid-1960s. In addition, some aspects are discussed which enable interpreting Ekbaum’s novel as an autobiographical trauma narrative. While telling her autobiographical story, the author reflects on the attitudes of the Toronto Estonian community as well as the meaning and future of Estonian nationalism in exile, an adequate understanding of which requires considerable knowledge of the historical context of the book. However, the aspects of genre and poetics are no less important for the novel. Ekbaum understands documentary novel as an autobiographical narrative focusing on the author’s personal experience and feelings. Those are rendered most vividly by fragments of her memories, diary records and dream recordings, which enable the reader to get an idea of her traumatic experiences.

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