Loodus, igavik ja argipäev. Postkoloniaalne identiteediloome Jaan Kaplinski ja Derek Walcotti luules
Nature, eternity and the everyday: Postcolonial identity formation in the poetry of Jaan Kaplinski and Derek Walcott

Summary/Abstract: The article examines the similarities observed in the literary identity formation of Jaan Kaplinski and Derek Walcott, which testify that both authors belong to the postcolonial discourse. The definition of postcolonialism for the purposes of this article is based on such theoreticians as Loomba, for example, who see postcolonialism first and foremost as contestation and annulment of colonial heritage. For both Kaplinski and Walcott, identity formation essentially means closeness to nature, eternity and turning to the personal and the commonplace. Closeness to nature as an important element of postcolonial literature has previously been discussed by Handley, DeLoughrey, also Said and others. As for the commonplace and the everyday, the article compares Kaplinski with Walcott as well as with Larkin. It appears that despite their different geographic and cultural backgrounds Kaplinski and Walcott are spiritually close. In their poetry, both authors are seeking a freedom of spirit enabling new and fresh ways for the attribution of meaning. Also, the article raises the question if and how Soviet and post-Soviet Estonian literature fits in the postcolonial discourse in general, concluding that if the definition of postcolonialism just presumes colonial experience, as has been suggested by, e.g. Ashcroft, Griffiths and Tiffin, there is hardly any reason to exclude Estonia from this discourse.

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