Kross, Jaan. The Conspiracy and Other Stories. Translated by Eric Dickens. London: Harvill Press, 1995.
Eric Dickens, the translator for The Conspiracy and Other Stories felt it was necessary to stress the fact these six stories were written then Estonia did not have independence. The political climate of World War II is woven into the fabric of every story. The title of each short story is a major plot twist in each tale. For example, “The Wound” is about Peeter Mirk’s relationship with a woman named Flora. Flora suffers a life altering wound after taking a nasty fall. “Lead Piping” is another tragic tale involving a death by a lead pipe and “The Shahl Grammar” is a sad tale about a writer sacrificing his friend to save himself.
Reason read: The Baltic Singing Revolution took place in August.
Author fact: Conspiracy and Other Stories is a bit autobiographical. Jaan Kross is a lot like his main character, Peeter Mirk: a law student in and out of prison for various crimes.
BookLust Twist: from Book Lust To Go in the chapter called “The Baltic States” (p 33).
~*LunaSea*~ 