Présentation du roman "La forêt des oubliés"

Come and discover the new novel by Mehis Heinsaar, renowned Estonian author, in the presence of his translator, Antoine Chalvin, as well as the publisher, Emilie Maj (Borealia publishing), in partnership with the France-Estonie association.

the website of the Boréalia bookshop

; Credits: "La forêt des oubliés" by Mehis HEINSAAR, ed. Borealia

Mehis Heinsaar ; Credits: DR

While living a bohemian life in the city of Tartu, Agu, a young folklorist, hears one day about a strange and terrifying people whose descendants might still live in a remote region of Estonia. Fascinated, he sets out to find them and ventures into the depths of the swampy forest of Soomaa. There he discovers a mysteriously well-tended garden, inhabited by a woman with whom he falls irresistibly in love. But she does not live alone, and this paradise hides terrible secrets.

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In La Forêt des oubliés, he invites us into an immersion in a world both dark and idyllic in the heart of a wild region untouched by civilization, where the quest for self and reflection on human nature are central motifs. The realism of the tale, blended with dreamlike and enigmatic elements, makes this text with its sensual and poetic writing an absolutely spellbinding novel.

About the author

Born in 1973 in Tallinn, Mehis Heinsaar is a writer already considered a classic of Estonian literature. Author of over a hundred short stories and several poetry collections, he is now turning toward novels, whose writing, like his entire oeuvre, remains associated with magical realism and fantasy, with masters such as Gogol, Kafka, Bulgakov, García Márquez, Calvino…

The writer divides his time between writing and immersion in nature. His works are translated today into about ten languages.

Since 2000, the short stories and poetry of Mehis Heinsaar have received thirteen major literary prizes. The author was notably a three-time winner of the prestigious Tuglas short story prize. In 2022 and 2023, the novel La Forêt des oubliés was awarded three prizes. In 2026, Mehis Heinsaar received a prize from the Estonian Cultural Endowment for his latest work, published after the one you hold in your hands.

A. H. Tammsaare Literature Prize 2023

Estonian Cultural Endowment Literature Prize 2022

→ More information on the publisher's website

Presentation of Antoine Chalvin

Antoine Chalvin is a professor of Estonian and Finnish languages and literature at Inalco. He is the author of several books on Estonian language and culture: Johannes Aavik et la rénovation de la langue estonienne (2010), Manuel d’estonien (2011), Les Setos d’Estonie (2015), Grammaire de l’estonien (2023). He has translated into French numerous literary works, including the Estonian national epic Kalevipoeg (Gallimard, 2004) and novels by Viivi Luik, Jaan Kross, Andrus Kivirähk, Arto Paasilinna, and Mehis Heinsaar. For more than twenty years, he has run a website on Estonian literature (www.litterature-estonienne.com). He directs the editing of a Grand Estonian-French Dictionary (www.estfra.ee) and co-directed a Histoire de la traduction littéraire en Europe médiane (Presses universitaires de Rennes, 2019).

Presentation of the France-Estonie association

Founded in 1991, the France-Estonie association aims to promote better knowledge of Estonia and its culture in France and encourage exchanges between both countries. It regularly organizes conferences, film screenings, literary encounters, concerts, and other cultural events devoted to Estonia. It also runs a website (www.france-estonie.org) providing information on Estonian culture, history, and society as well as cultural news about Estonia in France.