On Cultural Contacts and their Impact on Literature in Tallinn in the Early 17th Century [Kultuurikontaktidest ja nende mõjust Tallinna kirjandusväljale 17. sajandi alguses]

Abstract

The present paper describes the literary field in Tallinn in the early modern period, specifically the early 1630s. 1 It was a time when several cultural innovations reached this region (via social carriers as well as via the book trade). Hereby, the professors of the newly founded gymnasium (1631) played a crucial role. Thanks to these scholars completely new genres (such as the autobiography) are documented. Furthermore, new core texts were introduced, which had a huge impact on further cultural developments in Tallinn and in Northern Estonia: the formation of German-language (occasional) poetry and the emergence of Estonianlanguage literary culture.