Luckily, Urve, continued to talk with me. And on the flight home from Seattle I opened her book. Turns out I knew nothing about Estonia. Ma ei teadnud midagi - I knew nothing.
But as I spent time with the young Madli, and the risks she took to save her family (which would have been tough for someone twice her age) I couldn't put the book down. "The Darkest Corner of The World" became an evocative, powerful and - not an easy task - wonderful journey into a young girl's life.
Merci, Urve, for sharing YOUR journey with us.
Urve Tamberg, Author
On Facebook: Urve Tamberg - Author
On Twitter: @utamberg
On Pinterest: utamberg
Welcome to The Planting
Cabbages Novelist Interview. Urve, I am so glad you are here!
Planting Cabbages:
When did you start writing and what motivated you?
I didn't realize I wanted to be a writer until a few years ago. I've
always been an avid reader, and somewhere in the back of my mind, had the
desire to write a novel. Like many people, I didn't think writing would be as
difficult as it was.
As the daughter of
immigrant parents, I grew up in Toronto hearing stories about the history and
culture of Estonia. I led a double life for most of my childhood. I was a
normal Canadian student during the day, and an Estonian at night and on
weekends. My “Canadian” friends didn’t understand why I had to go to Estonian
school on Friday nights, or rhythmic gymnastics on the weekends. And where
exactly was this tiny country that had been forgotten by the world for decades
after the Soviets occupied it?
I was inspired by the little-known true stories of stubbornness, ingenuity, and bravery. Because Estonia was a tiny country locked behind the Iron Curtain for almost fifty years, many of its stories have never been told. In the last twenty years, since the collapse of the Soviet Union, people have finally dared talk about their experiences. When I was growing up, my parents didn`t speak much about the war but once in a while, something big would slip out. For example, I was an adult when my father told me about two brothers I never knew he had. Both were in their twenties when they were deported to Siberia. I still don`t know the reason. There are so many stories still buried in memories because people don`t think that their personal tales are important. But they are.
My first book, The Darkest Corner of the World, is inspired
by the true stories of the Estonian people and their struggle to survive during
the Soviet and Nazi occupations during World War II.
PC: Often the
journey from being a writer to being a published novelist is a story in and of
itself. Tell us about yours.
It took me four intense years of historical research, and learning
writing craft before I submitted the manuscript for publication. I think the
hours that I put in were probably the equivalent of another university degree,
though the end result is a published novel, not a degree.
I could never have done this on my own. Like
any profession, it's important to connect with your peers. From the start, I
have been part of amazingly supportive and perceptive critique groups.
Organizations such as CANSCAIP and SCBWI provided important resources, and
still do.
I met my editor, Barry Jowett from Dancing
Cat Books, at a course run in Brantford. At a one-on-one meeting, he liked my
first page, and wanted to see more. And based on some good advice, I didn't
rush to send him the manuscript. In fact, after much consideration, I ended up
rewriting the whole novel from first person to third person before I sent it to
him. That took a year. Fortunately, when I contacted him, he did remember the
novel, asked to see the entire manuscript, and the rest is history.
PC: Who are the
writers who first inspired you to write and who are the
writers you read
now? What's changed?
I have always loved books and stories. I
mostly read literary fiction, and enjoy reading about a complicated protagonist
in an interesting setting. Some of the books I've enjoyed recently are Room by
Emma Donaghue, Purge by Sofi Oksanen, Property by Valerie Martin, The Book of
Negoes by Lawrence Hill, and The Kite Runner by Khaleid Hosseini. I'm
re-reading Graves without Crosses by Arved Viirlaid (one of the handful of
Estonian authors translated into English) as research for my next book.
As a child, I loved Nancy Drew, Enid Blyton, and Noel
Streatfeild.
So what is the relationship between Nancy Drew and World
War II in Eastern Europe, you ask? For me, it's the strong independent female
protagonist who thinks on her feet, and is able to outsmart the antagonist(s).
She is empathetic, articulate, and able to trust her instincts.
PC: How important
is 'everyday life' to your work?
When I went to school, history was taught as a series of
dates and treaties and wars and battles, none of which interested me in the
least. Now I realize I'm interested in how ordinary people felt, and the
every-day dilemmas they faced.
When I was researching, I was struck by how some people
could manage to show compassion even at the darkest of moments. For example, on
June 14th, 1941, thousands of people were woken up in the middle of the night
by Red Army soldiers, and told they were being deported to Siberia. Some of the
soldiers told their prisoners where they were being taken, and to pack warm
clothing, and sewing machines, and food. Other soldiers forced their prisoners
into the back of a truck wearing little more their night clothes.
PC: Do you see
your work in terms of literary traditions and/or broader
cultural or
political movements?
Overall, I don't see my work as political, but I will make a couple of
observations.
Winston Churchill said that "history is written by the
victors." For most of the twentieth century, the Soviet Union was the
"winner." They illegally annexed the Baltic countries of Estonia,
Latvia, and Lithuania during the second World War, and for five decades the
Iron Curtain limited communication between the West and the Eastern Bloc
countries. Letters were censored, and people on both sides of the ocean were
afraid to tell their stories.
After Estonia regained independence in 1991, stories slowly started to
filter out, but even now there is very little written in English, much less
written for a younger audience.
Another reason that Estonia's stories have not been told is because of
its tiny population. There are about 1.5 million Estonians in the world. Much
of the literature to date has been written in Estonian, so fluency in the
language has been a necessity to do research .
Having said all that, I really just want to write compelling
stories with intriguing characters, and page-turning action, all with the
backdrop of World War II in Estonia.
PC: What aspect of
writing and working as a writer is the most challenging?
Since this is my first novel, there are three things
that were challenging for me. I call them the three Rs - researching,
rewriting, and relevancy.
As someone with no background in history, I had to research
everything from the dates of major events to bathrooms, shoes, and bathing suit
styles. Accuracy was very important because I felt that I had to honor the
people of Estonia who lived during that time period.
E.B. White said, "The best writing is rewriting."
I gave myself permission to use my first novel as a learning experience and
spent years learning about the craft of writing. It was very tempting to rush the process, but
it took about four or five years from conception to publication, and countless
rewrites. I joined critique groups, SCBWI, CANSCAIP, and started going to
courses and conferences. I love that I'm always learning something new, and
that writers are so generous about sharing their experiences.
And finally, relevancy. How could I make this story appeal
to teens? I knew the story had to draw them in on an emotional level and
decided to included romance and betrayal.
Also, Madli likes all the same things today's teens do. Boys, summer
vacation, parties, movies from America, and travelling.
PC: What reading,
other than fiction, is important to your work and why?
I spent
months reading life histories, and textbooks in both Estonian and English. My
ability to read Estonian gave me access to a richness of work that wouldn't be
available to anyone who didn't speak the language (needless to say, there
aren't many of us).
PC: What genre is
your fiction? Do you see yourself as changing genre or "branding"
your work?
I write historical fiction for
young adults, though a number of adult book clubs have read The Darkest Corner of the World. I think teens like good historical fiction that makes
them wonder "What would I have done?" I like to challenge my
characters with morally complex decisions at a vulnerable time in their lives
to see which path they choose.
PC: What is the current state of fiction, as you see
it?
I'd like to address Canadian
fiction, since that is more familiar territory. I think that Canadian literary
fiction is on very solid ground, and while writers do not necessarily write
about the Canadian experience, they embrace themes of immigration, travel, and
multiculturalism.
Award-winning Canadian authors with international recognition
include Michael Ondaatje, Margaret Atwood, Alice Munro, and Yann Martel (Life
of Pi is nominated for an Oscar this year).
(A little promo for the Great White North! Oh, Canada!)
PC: How do you
think American fiction might best develop in the next ten years?
That is an interesting question. On the simplest level,
people will always want to read great stories. I think the question then
becomes "How will they discover a great story?"
Typically, I read a book because a friend recommended it,
or I "heard" about it, either because it won an award, or it was on a
best-seller list.
I think the biggest challenge in the future will be
marketing a good book. Since I write historical fiction for teens, I need to
reach a diverse audience. This would include both the readers and gatekeepers.
The gatekeepers are teachers, librarians, as well as parents.
PC: How is Fiction
relevant or valuable to contemporary society and culture in the U.S. and/or at
an international level?
Everyone loves a
good story. It is through stories that we learn about the world around us and
we learn about ourselves.
I'm intrigued by the similarities between some of concepts
in dystopian literature, and the reality of living under communism in the
twentieth century. Teens may not realize that events they perceive as dystopian
actually happened in the twentieth century. It might be a great way to start a
discussion.
Let me give you an example.
In The Hunger Games,
Panem is a post-apocalyptic nation where the countries of North America once
existed. The Capitol exercises political control over the rest of the nation.
For most of the twentieth century, the Soviet Union was
controlled by a centralized bureaucracy based in Moscow. The USSR was comprised
of fifteen nations including the former republics of Estonia, Latvia, and
Lithuania which had been forcibly occupied by the Soviets.
The people of the USSR were rarely allowed to travel to the
West, and if they did, members of their family were held back as insurance so
that the person would return. If they didn't return, their family faced arrest,
torture, and deportation.
There are many more examples and I hope talking about these real-life
scenarios might pique their interest in history.
Urve shares the delicious recipe for the
milk and onion soup "cure" in her novel.
Estonia has many folk remedies for "curing" colds
and fevers. One of them is milk and onion soup. My mother used to make this
when she was ill. I have to confess that it never really appealed to me, but
she swore by it. It's a very simple recipe (makes sense to keep it simple if
you are ill)
Slice 1/4 cup of onion, and slowly sauté in butter until
onion is soft and translucent. About 15 minutes.
In the meantime, pour 1 to 1.5 cups of milk in saucepan and
slowly bring to simmer just until warm.
Reduce heat for onions, and pour milk onto onions. Add salt
and pepper to taste. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Enjoy! Feel better! Get well!
