Professor Martens' Departure

My admiration for Jaan Kross first developed after reading The Czar's Madman a number of years ago. I then bought and started this later book, but found it required a degree of concentration that I could not give it. Now, several years later, I have finally picked it up and re-read it, and am very glad that I did. This book is beautifully written, and for that alone it is well worth reading. However, if one is interested in the history of late 19th Century Russia, it is also a refreshing tale filled with interesting historical connections. Jaan Kross has proved himslef to be a great literary figure, and one of the rare examples of Estonian fiction available in the West. His writing is not particularly well suited to all audiences and tastes, but hold great promise for those with a love for Russia and Baltic culture and history.

Kross brings to bear an encyclopaedic knowledge of Estonian and Russian history upon this book about an aging man's journey through his own memories. The novel takes place, for the most part, on a train, but we follow Professor Martens' digressions into the details of his own rise to influence, love life, internal arguments, and penetrating self-doubt. Martens is one of the most engaging characters one is likely to encounter. He is vain, but keeps it mostly to himself, and Machiavellian, although he rarely admits it. The progress of the novel is ponderous. This is not in-flight reading material. But it is worth the time, effort, and attention.