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The Inner Immigrant
These essayistic short stories, penned over a thirty-year period, follow Fabian, Mihkel Mutt’s strange and self-indulgent alter ego, and his adventures in newly independent Estonia. Mutt’s stories highlight the lingering absurdities of the previous Soviet regime, at the same time taking ironic aim at the triumphs and defeats, the virtues and vices of the Estonian intelligentsia.
248 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
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About the author
Mihkel Mutt
53 books19 followersMihkel Mutt studied philology and journalism at the University of Tartu from 1971 to 1976. After completing his studies, he was an editor at a publishing house and for various literary journals until 1987. He's been also a dramatist at a youth theater (Noorsooteater), worked for weekly newspapers. and written scripts for TV-series.
Mihkel Mutt was a member of the literary cooperative "Kupar" that was founded in 1987 by ten writers as the first non-state publishing house in the former Soviet Union. From 1992 to 1999 he was the president of PEN Estonia
From 1997 to 2005 Mutt headed the cultural journal Sirp. He has been the editor-in-chief of Estonia's foremost literary magazine Looming since November 2005.
Mihkel Mutt made his name as a theatre and literary critic and satirist in the early 1970s. His first short stories were published at the end of the decade and his first book came out in 1980. His early prose is characterized by irony and satire. His novels deal with socio-cultural and interpersonal issues, marriage problems etc. Many of his characters are urban intellectuals or artistically inclined dropouts. In his latest novels he has documented the arrival of the free-market economy and open society in Estonia and their impact on various social groups. Beside novels and stories he has published travel books and books for children and continued as a prolific cultural critic. After the restoration of Estonia's independence he started writing columns for various newspapers (mainly about social issues and world politics). He has translated angloamerican authors for the stage (A.Wesker, T.Stoppard, E.O'Neill, D.Pownall etc.)
He has been awarded with the Tuglas' Prize (for the best short story of an year in 1981 and 2007) and has twice received the Virumaa Literature Prize for the best historical novel of an year (in 1994 for Rahvusvaheline mees, describing Estonia's pursuit for international recognition, and Kooparahvas läheb ajalukku, whick looks back at the past half a century in Estonia's history.
Among his books are novels, short story collections, children's books, travel diaries, essays and criticism, memoires and a play.
Mihkel Mutt was a member of the literary cooperative "Kupar" that was founded in 1987 by ten writers as the first non-state publishing house in the former Soviet Union. From 1992 to 1999 he was the president of PEN Estonia
From 1997 to 2005 Mutt headed the cultural journal Sirp. He has been the editor-in-chief of Estonia's foremost literary magazine Looming since November 2005.
Mihkel Mutt made his name as a theatre and literary critic and satirist in the early 1970s. His first short stories were published at the end of the decade and his first book came out in 1980. His early prose is characterized by irony and satire. His novels deal with socio-cultural and interpersonal issues, marriage problems etc. Many of his characters are urban intellectuals or artistically inclined dropouts. In his latest novels he has documented the arrival of the free-market economy and open society in Estonia and their impact on various social groups. Beside novels and stories he has published travel books and books for children and continued as a prolific cultural critic. After the restoration of Estonia's independence he started writing columns for various newspapers (mainly about social issues and world politics). He has translated angloamerican authors for the stage (A.Wesker, T.Stoppard, E.O'Neill, D.Pownall etc.)
He has been awarded with the Tuglas' Prize (for the best short story of an year in 1981 and 2007) and has twice received the Virumaa Literature Prize for the best historical novel of an year (in 1994 for Rahvusvaheline mees, describing Estonia's pursuit for international recognition, and Kooparahvas läheb ajalukku, whick looks back at the past half a century in Estonia's history.
Among his books are novels, short story collections, children's books, travel diaries, essays and criticism, memoires and a play.
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August 19, 2017
August 19, 2017 Update
Mihkel Mutt was just awarded Estonian Writer of the Year 2017 for his novel Eesti ümberlõikaja (The Estonian Circumciser). Estonian news article at http://kultuur.err.ee/613813/aasta-ki... (English language version should be posted in a day or so).
The Innie and the Outie.
"The Inner Immigrant" is a translation anthology of the short stories of prolific Estonian writer Mihkel Mutt, whose only other translated work in English to date is the novel The Cavemen Chronicle (2015) which was also translated by Adam Cullen. The stories here have been selected from Fabiani õpilane (Fabian's Student) (1980), Vana Fabiani Nutulaul (Old Fabian's Lament) (1988), Siseemigrant (The Inner Immigrant) (2007) and Fabian (2015). The last one is a recent Estonian reissue on Mutt's own imprint of the early Fabian stories. Including 5 books of short stories, Mutt has about 30 works to his credit, comprising novels, children's stories, essays, travel writing, memoirs and theatre. The stories "Fabian the Student" (1980) and "The Inner Immigrant" (2007) (both included here) won the Estonian Best Short Story Award named after writer Friedebert Tuglas in 1981 and 2008 respectively.
The Innie
Only 6 of the 13 stories in this present collection are about Mutt's alter-ego of Fabian, but they do make up 75% of the book. Fabian is "an ironic observer of life and a skeptical bohemian" per the Estonian blurb for the 2015 Estonian reissue (i.e. "irooniline eluvaatleja ja skeptiline boheemlane.").
The inner monologues of the essayistic Fabian stories take a bit of getting used to, especially as you don't really warm to the character very easily. "Old Fabian's Lament" with its richly observant details of matrimonial cohabitation was my favourite of them, especially as it had some wry humour and a nice little twist in the end.
The Outie
The outer world of the remaining 7 short stories were more approachable, and though they do not use the Fabian alter-ego explicitly, they could easily be viewed as an external expansion of the inner monologue thread of the 6 Fabian stories. My favourites were the difficulties of writing a literary colleague's "Obituary", the writer's daytrip/lecture to a not very responsive audience in "The Lady with the White Beret" and the final "Inner Immigrant."
p.s. Sometimes I have random ideas for review headers and just go with them. The silliness of the above header was inspired by "The Intro and the Outro" by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DUEA... (you may recognize the voice of announcer Vivian Stanshall who served the same role in Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells).
Mihkel Mutt was just awarded Estonian Writer of the Year 2017 for his novel Eesti ümberlõikaja (The Estonian Circumciser). Estonian news article at http://kultuur.err.ee/613813/aasta-ki... (English language version should be posted in a day or so).
The Innie and the Outie.
"The Inner Immigrant" is a translation anthology of the short stories of prolific Estonian writer Mihkel Mutt, whose only other translated work in English to date is the novel The Cavemen Chronicle (2015) which was also translated by Adam Cullen. The stories here have been selected from Fabiani õpilane (Fabian's Student) (1980), Vana Fabiani Nutulaul (Old Fabian's Lament) (1988), Siseemigrant (The Inner Immigrant) (2007) and Fabian (2015). The last one is a recent Estonian reissue on Mutt's own imprint of the early Fabian stories. Including 5 books of short stories, Mutt has about 30 works to his credit, comprising novels, children's stories, essays, travel writing, memoirs and theatre. The stories "Fabian the Student" (1980) and "The Inner Immigrant" (2007) (both included here) won the Estonian Best Short Story Award named after writer Friedebert Tuglas in 1981 and 2008 respectively.
The Innie
Only 6 of the 13 stories in this present collection are about Mutt's alter-ego of Fabian, but they do make up 75% of the book. Fabian is "an ironic observer of life and a skeptical bohemian" per the Estonian blurb for the 2015 Estonian reissue (i.e. "irooniline eluvaatleja ja skeptiline boheemlane.").
The inner monologues of the essayistic Fabian stories take a bit of getting used to, especially as you don't really warm to the character very easily. "Old Fabian's Lament" with its richly observant details of matrimonial cohabitation was my favourite of them, especially as it had some wry humour and a nice little twist in the end.
The Outie
The outer world of the remaining 7 short stories were more approachable, and though they do not use the Fabian alter-ego explicitly, they could easily be viewed as an external expansion of the inner monologue thread of the 6 Fabian stories. My favourites were the difficulties of writing a literary colleague's "Obituary", the writer's daytrip/lecture to a not very responsive audience in "The Lady with the White Beret" and the final "Inner Immigrant."
p.s. Sometimes I have random ideas for review headers and just go with them. The silliness of the above header was inspired by "The Intro and the Outro" by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DUEA... (you may recognize the voice of announcer Vivian Stanshall who served the same role in Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells).
March 21, 2022
An interesting book, though at times the theoretical tone of the reflections in the short stories took away from the drama or tension and reflected the dissident tones of the era with the stories from the 1970s and 1980s. The contrast between these and the post-USSR stories ins interesting and the concluding/title story is a resonant one that at times crosses borders and eras to reflect the mood of "inner immigrants" who are at a loss determining their place in countries that seems less and less like the ones they have long known or assumed to know.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews