Truth and Justice, Volume 2: Indrek
Review of the Vagabond Voices paperback (September 2022) translated by Christopher Moseley & Matthew Hyde from the Estonian language original published by Noor-Eesti (1929).

I assisted in proofreading and copy-editing this English language translation of the 2nd volume of Tammsaare's massive pentalogy Truth and Justice. I can't be unbiased about my rating as I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Hopefully this work will continue with the further 3 volumes to be published annually from 2023 to 2025.

Truth and Justice Volume 1 (published in English translation as Vargamäe (orig. 1926/trans. 2019)) dealt with farmer Andres Paas and his struggles with the land and his search for justice in dealing with his quarrelsome neighbour Pearu. In the 2nd volume, the main character is Andres' son Indrek and his coming of age while seeking his education at Mr. Maurus's school in the city of Tartu, Estonia. Indrek's educational journey includes his various mishaps with other students and teachers, his first love and its tragic consequences.

While the tone of Volume 1 was mostly serious, Volume 2 has both comedy and pathos, even as it debates education and the search for knowledge, about beauty and truth, as well as the existence of God. Just as Volume 1 has been described as man's struggle with the land, Volume 2 is described as being about man's struggle with God. A few quotes will provide a sense of the work:

About teaching and learning (also excusing the occasional drunken teacher):

It is a matter of no great consequence when a teacher indulges in the odd drink, as it is only the pupil who has to be sober. Learning is harder than teaching. You can even teach when you don’t understand, whilst you definitely have to understand if you’re learning ...

About beauty and truth (also hearkening back to the theme of truth in Volume 1):

"Mr Molotov, you're a good-looking man, why don't you take more care of your appearance?" What do you think of that: a man, and good-looking she says! So I told her, "I don't have a mirror, and beauty is not the same as truth, and anyway you can't see the truth in a mirror."

Mr. Maurus laments that Christ wasn't born in Estonia, and that writer/politician Carl Robert Jakobson (1841-1882), a leader of the Estonian national awakening, was sent instead:

"In that case Christ could still be alive today, after all, what's a couple of thousand years for God. It could have been thus, if God had wanted. But God wanted his son to be a Jew, that was God's will. And so all we got from God was Jakobson …"
At that, Mr. Maurus seemed to grow despondent. He stood there silently in front of Indrek for a while, as if he'd been unable to say the most important thing.

Indrek causes a final break with Mr. Maurus when he writes an article questioning the existence of God in the school's student newspaper:

"This man is stark crazy! He's the first truly crazy person in Mr Maurus's decent and respectable establishment. There have been some half-crazy ones, of course, but this one is totally crazy. He got zero in mathematics but he's one hundred percent crazy himself. And he's decided to take on Mr Maurus's holy bull and Jehovah. He wants to be famous, he wants to win fame in Estonia for killing God. You understand? The first to murder God! He could at least have gone for the devil instead. But no, he doesn't touch the devil, he goes straight for God, as if he couldn't get to the devil otherwise, first he has to despatch God."

See illustration at https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FZAgk71WQAE5WOn?format=jpg&name=large
The Eesti Raamat edition from 1965 includes 7 illustrations consisting of woodcut engravings by the artist Herald Eelma. This mage of Indrek and Maurus is sourced from Twitter.

See book cover at https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FZBDkwbWQAA3WfW?format=jpg&name=small
Cover image of the Noor-Eesti first edition hardcover (1929). Image sourced from Twitter.

Trivia and Links
The Estonian language original of Truth and Justice II: Indrek from 1929 can be read online at Wikisource. The 1929 edition divides the work into 40 chapters, although later editions re-order it into 38 chapters. As best as I can determine the texts are identical.

The same 1929 Estonian language edition can be read online Estonian Literary Museum website. There you can read an online facsimile edition or download it as an eBook.

See photograph at https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fb6KOWYXoAAVg5v?format=jpg&name=900x900
A screen still from the 1975 film "Indrek". Image sourced from Twitter. ( )

Raamatu üldprobleemiks on tõe ja õiguse küsimus. Just selline probleem teebki raamatu huvitavamaks ja mõtlema panevaks. Üldiselt ma alguses oli põnevil aga pärast nädalatepikkust piinlemist(1. osa on üle 500 lk ja ma pole eriti kiire lugeja) olin ma pettunud. Mitte, et see lugu poleks mulle meeldinud aga raamat polnud minujaoks nii huvitav kui arvasin. Mitte, et see lugu poleks mulle meeldinud. Üks asi, mis lugemise natuke lõbusamaks tegi oli Andrese ja Pearu vaidlemine.

Kui pidime seda raamatut lugema hakkama, siis ei tahtnud kuidagi alustada, viitsimist ei olnud. Aga kui ma lõpuks kätte võtsin, siis ei tahtnud enam käest ära panna. Teos on väga huvitav, kõik on täpselt nii kujutatud nagu vanal ajal oli. Mõndade kohtade ajal oli isegi selline tunne, et isegi oleks tahtnud sellisel ajal elada. Kindlasti on plaanis läbi lugeda ka teised osad. Väga hea raamat. ( )

Raamat rääkis elust, nii nagu see sellel ajal oli. Kuna kõik kiitsid seda, võtsin raamatu kohe ette ja pettuma ei pidanud. Lugemine läks väga kiiresti ja kuna sündmusi oli palju, siis igav ei hakanud. Meeldis, et oli palju erinevaid tegelasi ning kõik nad olid erinevad. Palju oli ka probleeme, mis leidsid lahenduse. Kõige rohkem meeldis, et teos oli väga realistlik. Soovitan seda lugeda kõigil, sest Tammsaare kujutas just Eesti elu ja see peaks kõigile eestlastele huvitav olema. ( )

Enne raamatu lugemist arvasin,et tuleb üks igav ja tüütu lugemine. Tegelikkuses see nii ei olnud. Väga hea ja psühholoogiline romaan. Teose teema kulg oli huvitav ja arusaadav. Raamat räägib Oru Pearust ja Andresest ning nende perekondadest, kelle igapäeva tegevuste hulka kuuluvad ka teineteisele vingerpussi mängimine. Raamatus oli väga palju vägivalda, tõde, õigust, kohut, rivaalitsemist. Meeldisid ka väljendid. Näiteks: "vaert", "lambasihver" jpt.
Selle teose kohta on väga palju kirjutada. Inimeste omavahelistest suhetest, olukordadest jpt. Mulle meeldis see raamat ja ka tegelased.
Üllatav oli see, kuidas Liisi hakkas oma isale vastu hoolimata kõigest. ( )