Üleannetu Maa = Uleannetu Maa

Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1977. First Edition. Octavo with tan boards and green endpapers; white and green jacket; 670 pages; 21 cm Very good (+) with clean pages and tight binding; some age-toning to book block; jacket is very good (-) with edgewear and scuffing, a few small chips near spine and corners, slight sunning overall, now in archival mylar. Hardcover.

In Estonian. Üleannetu maa (“The Naughty Land”) is a substantial collection of short prose by Estonian author Lilli Promet, first published in 1977. It gathers a broad selection of her short stories, novellas, literary miniatures, feuilletons, and even elements of film scripts, showcasing her versatility across genres and styles. This collection offers a panoramic view of Promet’s literary craftsmanship in short form, revealing her nuanced worldview, stylistic finesse, and wide thematic range. Her prose covers both personal and societal topics, often conveyed through sharply observed urban scenes or character sketches. Promet had a clear affinity for the short form, and Üleannetu maa stands as a kind of retrospective of her work in that genre. Lilli Promet (1922–2007) was a prominent Estonian writer known for her novels, short stories, and screenplays, whose career spanned the Soviet era. The daughter of a painter, she was a war correspondent during WWII, and transitioned to fiction and memoir in the post war period. Her work is a blend of personal and political observation, wit in the unique atmosphere of soviet Estonia.