1 The 690 years to which the narrator's father refers go back to the time when the Estonians, emergent as a nation, managed to shake off German, Swedish, Latvian etc tutelage for a short while and run the country themselves.

2 Noh or Nonoh — the Estonian all-purpose interjection meaning, 'well', 'well now' or 'aha'. It is pronounced 'nokh' and has been retained in the story to keep the local colour. Anyone eavesdropping on a conversation between Estonians will understand why.

3 During the 1920s there was prohibition in Finland and much smuggling occurred via Aland and Estonia. Hiiumaa (German and Swedish: Dagö) is the northernmost of the two large islands off the west coast of Estonia.

4 Friedebert Tuglas (1886-1971) was an Estonian short-story writer and critic, and one of the most influential stylists in 20th century Estonian writing. The story 'At Dusk' was written in 1907.

5 'Mein Schwoger ...' Low German (spoken in the Baltic countries) and Russian (roughly): 'My brother-in-law drowned in 1929. Lost at sea. The way sailors are lost.'

6 Anton Hansen Tammsaare (1878-1940) was the other major Estonian writer of the early 20th century. He was a realist writer. He died soon after the interview described.

7 Andrei Alexandrovich Zhdanov (1896-1948), was a member of the Supreme Soviet and Politburo of the Soviet Union. He visited the newly annexed Estonia during July 1940.

8 Konstantin Pats (1874-1956) was an important conservative politician in the Republic of Estonia from 1920-1940. He was several times President, and it was in that capacity that he was arrested and sent to Siberia during the first Soviet Occupation of 1940-41. He died in exile in Kalinin (Tver).

9 The Leegion was the Estonian Army under German tutelage, 1941-44.

Estonian character

Abstract