Opening of Norwegian Cultural Evening

Prime Minister Vähi, Minister of Culture Allik, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Once upon a time three goats were on their way to graze in the mountains for the summer. All three were named billy-goat Bruse. They managed to outwit and overcome the horrible big troll who lived under a bridge on the road to the mountains. In the end, all three safely reached the green grass of the summer pastures. They became fat and content and probably lived happily ever after.

The fairy tale about the three billy-goats - we call them Bukkene Bruse - is known by every Norwegian. So are the three musicians whose repertoire of folk music you will be able to enjoy more of in a little while.

The three delightful musical Bukkene Bruse are Annbjørg Lien on Hardanger fiddle, Steinar Ofsdal on flutes and Bjørn Ole Rasch on keyboards.

Bukkene Bruse - the fairy tale - is part of the Norwegian narrative tradition. Our literary roots, like yours, go back to the middle ages. Fairy tales, folk ballads and poetry were handed down from generation to generation, recited around the fire place in small cottages all over the country. They were first written down in the 19th century, when Norwegians, like Estonians, were searching for a national identity. This search gave rise to great literary creativity in both our countries.

Many Norwegian authors have been published in Estonia: Classics like Henrik Ibsen, Knut Hamsun, Jonas Lie, Sigrid Undset, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Aleksander Kielland, Johan Bojer. Contemporaries like Kjell Askildsen, Åsta Holth, Herbjørg Wassmo, Dag Solstad.

To this distinguished list should now be added the name of Erik Fosnes Hansen, the latest Norwegian author to have a novel published in Estonian. Fosnes Hansen's novel "Psalm at Journey's End" - the Estonian title is "Requieem Katkenud Reisile" - was received with great acclaim by the critics when first published in 1990. Today, the book is on best seller lists all over the world.

"Psalm at Journey's End" is an absorbing story about the fateful voyage of the "Titanic". The main characters are five musicians whose lives are interwoven with the story of the ship. Using historical facts as a framework for human emotions and reactions, the author reflects on the larger themes of responsibility and fate, reason and faith.

Fosnes Hansen is with us today and will tell you more about the book and his authorship a bit later. I just want to underline the importance of his novel being published here in Estonia from the point of view of cultural and intellectual exchange between our two countries.

Looking around us - here in this gallery - we can see a different expression of Norwegian culture. The artist Gerhard Munthe, who lived and worked at the turn of the century, chose the motifs for his tapestries from the rich heritage of Norse mythology and Norwegian folk tales. Into his designs he put every mythical character that has formed the imagination of Norwegians for a thousand years: kings and gods, princesses and trolls.

At the turn of the century, a number of Estonian artists came to study in Norway. Many of them actually visited Gerhard Munthe. One was the painter Konrad Mägi, who lived in Oslo for a couple of years around 1910. Suffering from loneliness and poverty, Mägi did not exactly enjoy his stay. Yet, this period turned out to have a great impact on his evolution as an artist. Several of his best-known paintings are simply called "Norra maastik" or Norwegian landscapes.

When you have listened to Bukkene Bruse, when you have looked at the tapestries of Munthe, and when you have read Fosnes Hansen's novel, I would not be surprised if you recognise something of yourselves in the tunes, in the images, or in the words and ideas. Cultural exchange helps us rediscover or redefine ourselves and others. Sometimes we find a community of heritage and values, sometimes we come across the unique.

Relations between Norway and Estonia go way back. We have known each other since the time of the Vikings. Few people outside Scandinavia are closer to us in terms of culture, customs, and lifestyle.

We were separated by an iron curtain for fifty long years, but now we are free to enjoy the green summer pastures together.

Thank you.