''Treading Air'' (orig. Estonian ''Paigallend'') is

Jaan Kross Jaan Kross (19 February 1920 – 27 December 2007) was an Estonian writer. He won the 1995 International Nonino Prize in Italy. Early life Born in Tallinn, Estonia, son of a skilled metal-worker, Jaan Kross studied at Jakob Westholm Gymnasium ...

' thirteenth novel. He tells the story of the generation of

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 ...

ns with which he grew up. The unhealed wounds of recent Estonian history has been to the fore in Kross' short stories and in such novels as '' Wikmani poisid'' (''The Wikman Boys''), ''Mesmeri ring'' (''Mesmer's Ring'') and ''Väljakaevamised'' (''Excavations''). It was first translated into English in 2003 by Eric Dickens.

Plot introduction

''Treading Air'' is the story of Ullo Paerand. It is narrated partly in the first person from the principal character's point of view, and partly in the voice of Paerand's schoolmate Jaak Sirkel, a character in several of Kross' recent novels. The novel opens with Ullo's reminiscences of a childhood trip to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

in the 1920s, and ends with his vision of meeting his aged father who fled to the West together with his lover. The talented Ullo preserves memories of the happy childhood he knew before his father left and leaner years began. Together with his mother, Ullo fights for a better future. Despite minor humiliations, he gets a secondary education in one of

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...

's best grammar schools. Soon after, due to his excellent memory and enterprising spirit, he enjoys professional success, rising to a position in the Prime Minister's Office. But fate lets Ullo down. The Soviet and German occupations deny him the chance of an upstanding career. Ullo joins with the nationalists to work towards the restoration of the Estonian Republic, and passes over an opportunity of escaping to the West offered by a representative of the Vatican. He lives the remainder of his life - some forty years - doing menial work, and making suitcases in a factory. ''Treading Air'' is one of the Kross' most successful books. It is on a par with ''Keisri hull'' ('' The Czar's Madman''), regarded by many until now as Jaan Kross' best novel. 1998 novels Estonian novels {{1990s-novel-stub