''Names in Marble'' ( et, Nimed marmortahvlil) is an

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

war novel A war novel or military fiction is a novel about war. It is a novel in which the primary action takes place on a battlefield, or in a civilian setting (or home front), where the characters are preoccupied with the preparations for, suffering the ...

written by

Albert Kivikas Albert Kivikas ( in Groß-St. Johannis, Livonia, Russian Empire – 19 May 1978 in Lund) was an Estonian writer and journalist. He is best known as the author of the book '' Names in Marble'' ( et, "Nimed marmortahvlil"), the subject of which i ...

. It was published in 1936, and its subject is the

Estonian War of Independence The Estonian War of Independence ( et, Vabadussõda, literally "Freedom War"), also known as the Estonian Liberation War, was a defensive campaign of the Estonian Army and its allies, most notably the United Kingdom, against the Bolshevik westwa ...

. Kivikas received an award by the Estonian Literature Society for the novel. It is one of the best-known works of

Estonian literature Estonian literature ( et, eesti kirjandus) is literature written in the Estonian language (c. 1,100,000 speakers) The domination of Estonia after the Northern Crusades, from the 13th century to 1918 by Germany, Sweden, and Russia resulted in few ...

. The

film adaption A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...

of the novel was released in 2002.

Background

''Names in Marble'' is based on the personal experiences of Albert Kivikas during the Estonian War of Independence. Through the main characters of the book, the two major political movements of the era,

nationalism Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a in-group and out-group, group of peo ...

and

communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

are portrayed. The book also portrays the uncertainty among Estonians at that period about the future of the country.

Plot summary

The novel is divided in three parts. The main characters of the novel are two brothers, Henn and Juhan Ahas. In the first part, set at the beginning of the war, a group of students from

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after the Northern European country's political and financial capital, Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 91,407 (as of 2021). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of ...

join the

Estonian Army The Estonian Land Forces ( et, Maavägi), unofficially referred to as the Estonian Army, is the name of the unified ground forces among the Estonian Defense Forces where it has an offensive military formation role. It is currently the largest ...

(most students join immediately). In the beginning, Henn Ahas hesitates but after his hometown is attacked he joins the army. In the first part, the political and economic situation of the nation is described through the group of students. The second part contains autobiographical references and describes the situation at the war front, and the experiences of soldiers. The third part of the novel focuses on the final stage of the war and in particular the Treaty of Tartu, which recognised the independence of Estonia. The book ends with the group of students returning to their homes.

Theatrical and film adaptions

In 1937 Albert Kivikas was awarded by the Estonian Literature Society for ''Names in Marble'' with the State Elder Award ( et, Riigivanema auhind) of 1937. This led in 1939 to the publication of a theatrical version of the novel. It was divided in three acts, and contained 109 pages. ''Names in Marble'' the play was directed by Ants Lauter and its premiere was on February 24, 1939. The role of Henn Ahas was played by Tees Koppel. In 2002 a film of the same name and based on the novel was released in Estonia. It was directed by Elmo Nüganen, and

Priit Võigemast Priit Võigemast (born 18 April 1980) is an Estonian film, television and stage actor. Between 2002 and 2007 he has performed in the Ugala, Tallinna Linnateater and other theatres. He is probably best known for the role of Henn Ahas in the 2002 ...

starred as the main character Henn Ahas. ''Names in Marble'' is the highest budgeted Estonian feature film and the most successful film in Estonia in terms of box office profits.
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References

{{Reflist 1936 novels Estonian War of Independence Estonian books Estonian novels adapted into films Novels set in Estonia