''Toomas Nipernaadi'' is a 1928 Estonian novel by

August Gailit August Gailit (9 January 1891 – 5 November 1960) was an Estonian writer.Endel Nirk, Arthur Robert Hone, Oleg Mutt, ''Estonian Literature: Historical Survey with Biobibliographical Appendix'', Published by Perioodika, 1987, p177 Life Georg ...

, as well as the (assumed) name of the novel's protagonist. It was strongly influenced by neo-romanticism. The story of the book was made into a film titled ''Nipernaadi'' in 1983. The novel appeared in English translation in 2018.

Character

The character is an archetypical traveller; a

vagabond Vagrancy is the condition of homelessness without regular employment or income. Vagrants (also known as bums, vagabonds, rogues, tramps or drifters) usually live in poverty and support themselves by begging, scavenging, petty theft, temporar ...

. He is noted for frequent lying, for promising something to everybody around him, and to beautiful women in particular — but always moving on before his promises can be fulfilled. Nipernaadi is a writer who spends his summers travelling incognito around Estonia. Despite the roguish nature of his behavior, he still somehow brings hope to the stagnant backwater villages he breezes through, inspiring the inhabitants to turn their own dreams into reality. The novel has given modern Estonian the word "nipernaadi," a somewhat whimsical term for an adventurous traveller who wants to experience something off the beaten track or beyond the usual tourist sights. The news and public affairs station

Radio Kuku Radio Kuku ( et, Raadio Kuku, also called ''Kuku-raadio'') is an Estonian radio station. It was the first politically independent privately owned radio station in post- occupation Estonia, established in 1992 by a media businessman and later poli ...

, for instance, has a regular travel feature called "Nipernaadid" (The Nipernaadis).

References

Nipernaadi, Toomas

Toomas Nipernaadi ''Toomas Nipernaadi'' is a 1928 Estonian novel by August Gailit August Gailit (9 January 1891 – 5 November 1960) was an Estonian writer.Endel Nirk, Arthur Robert Hone, Oleg Mutt, ''Estonian Literature: Historical Survey with Biobibliog ...

Estonian novels adapted into films {{1920s-novel-stub