Paper short abstract:

In my paper I will analyse the writings (diaries, poems, short stories, etc.) of a 19th century miller, Märt Siipsen. Why did this uneducated man write so much? How was his writing activity related to his sense of home and his constant struggles to retain his right to live in his mill?

Paper long abstract:

In the centre of my presentation is a phenomenon called vernacular literacy - the practices of writing that are not directly connected to the institutions dedicated to the spreading of literacy (i.e. school, church, and state bureaucracy). Rather, those writing styles grow out of the everyday needs of ordinary people (and communities) and fulfil their urge for self-expression (Barton, Hamilton 2003).

Märt Siipsen (1846-1917) was a miller who lived and worked at a rather small watermill in Rõuge parish, in the periphery of southern Estonia. In this paper I will look into his 'archive' - thousands of pages of poems, diaries, account books, religious contemplations, short stories, etc. One of the central topics of this archive is home - a subject that had quite a special meaning for Siipsen who was in constant strife with his landlord to retain his right to live in his mill. So we can read about petitions, court sessions, and contracts entered into and infringed. But the relationship of his writings to his sense of home is not confined to these passages meant to document injustice - in a way we can say that at the time of total uncertainty the pages of his notebook provided him with something certain to dwell in.

References

Barton, David; Hamilton, Mary 2003 [1998]. Local Literacies. Reading and Writing in One Community. London, New York: Routledge.

This research has been supported by the Centre of Excellence in Estonian Studies (CEES, European Regional Development Fund) and is related to research projects IUT22-5 (Estonian Research Council).