Meelis Friedenthal
Meelis Friedenthal (b. 24. X 1973) is an Estonian writer and theologian. He writes historical prose with magical realist or fantastic components.
Friedenthal studied at Miina Härma Gymnasium in Tartu and in 1992, joined the faculty of theology of the University of Tartu, which he graduated with a BA in 1996. In 2001, he received his master’s degree from the same faculty. In 2008, he defended his PhD thesis that analyzed the manuscript Tractatus moralis de oculo by the 13th century theologian Peter of Limoges. From 2002-2008, he worked as a lecturer and researcher at the faculty of theology of the University of Tartu; from 2008-2020, he was a senior researcher of the intellectual history of the Baltic Sea region at the University of Tartu; from 2014-2015, he worked at the religious tolerance study group at Lichtenberg-Kolleg of the University of Göttingen. From 2021 he is an assistant professor of the history of thought at the University of Tartu. He is an editor of the internet journal of science fiction Algernon. He is a member of the Estonian Writers’ Union since 2012.
Friendenthal published his first science fiction story Läänerindel muutusteta (‘All Quiet on the Western Front’) in the Estonian online science fiction magazine Algernon in 1999. Other publications at Algernon followed and were widely accepted by the local sci-fi community. The story Üht teistsugust algust (‘Of A Different Kind of Beginning’) won the Estonian science fiction award Stalker in 2002 as best original story and was later published in the anthology Stalker 2002: Eesti ulmeauhinna Stalker laureaadid ja nominendid (‘Stalker 2002: The Laureates and Nominees of the Estonian Science Fiction Award Stalker’). Friedenthal has been subsequently recognized with the Stalker award several times. His short story collection Kõik äratatakse ellu (‘All Shall Be Made Alive’, 2020) includes stories since 2001. His stories have also appeared in several anthologies. Friedenthal’s short story Abracadabra, published in the collection Eesti nõid (‘Estonian Witch’, 2022) won the Tuglas Short Story Award.
Friedenthal’s debut novel Kuldne aeg (‘The Golden Era’, 2005) tells the story of an extinct human race brought back to life by robots. The new humans, now suffering from chronic amnesia, need to face the fragmented, incomprehensible and controversial history of mankind before them. A few other Friedenthal’s short stories take place in the universe of Kuldne aeg. The novel was highly recognized by critics and in addition to the Stalker award, it also won III place at the Estonian novel competition.
When Kuldne aeg and the stories before it are pure science fiction, then Friedenthal’s second novel Mesilased (2012, published as ‘The Willow King’ in English in 2017) is a historical one. The novel takes place in the end of 17th century Tartu that is suffering from poor weather, crop failures, famine and political conflict that are all directly or indirectly caused by the so-called Little Ice Age that afflicted Northern Europe in those times. However, in the 17th century, the University of Tartu was a much more fertile environment for scientific enlightenment ideas than the old and conservative universities of Western Europe. The novel was well received by critics and readers alike, it won the European Union Prize for Literature and has been translated into several languages.
Friedenthal’s third novel Inglite keel (‘The Language of Angels’, 2016) takes place in two parallel timelines, one in modern day and the other in 17th century Tartu, and is centered around a magical manuscript and Titivillus, a demon of scribing and typing errors that appears in different times and places. The novel studies in detail the history of printing technology and papermaking in Tartu and abroad.
The fourth novel Punkti ümber (‘Around a Point’, 2023) tells the story of Friedrich Jürgenson who was partly of Estonian origin and who later in life became known for recording the voices of the dead on magnetic tape. The novel examines the youth and development of the talented artist Jürgenson in Odessa at the beginning of the 20th century and his contacts with spiritualists, archaeologists and political activists of Europe after the Russian Revolution. The novel can be seen as a panoramic overview of the revolutionary changes in people’s thinking and art as well as politics and science. The title of the novel refers to the painting of the same name by the Czech artist František Kupka (1871-1957). The novel won the Literature Endowment Annual Award and the Stalker Science Fiction Award.
Friedenthal has written the play Vaim masinas (‘A Ghost in the Machine’, 2017) that is about Georg Friedrich Parrot (1767-1852), who was a physicist and rector of the University of Tartu. Friedenthal has also co-authored the monograph Alkeemia ajaloost (‘On the History of Alchemy’ 2023) with Kurmo Konsa, based on lectures on alchemy given by the authors at the University of Tartu.
S. V. (Translated by A. S.)
Books in Estonian
Novels
Kuldne aeg. Tallinn: Tuum, 2005, 190 lk.
Mesilased. Tallinn: Varrak, 2012, 211 lk. [Juurdetrükk: 2015.]
Inglite keel. Tallinn: Varrak, 2016, 207 lk.
Punkti ümber. Tallinn: Varrak, 2023, 309 lk.
Short stories
Kõik äratatakse ellu. Tartu: Kirikiri, 2020, 255 lk.
Monographs
Kurmo Konsa, Meelis Friedenthal, Alkeemia ajaloost. Tallinn: Sinisukk, 2023, 271 lk.
