Yuppiejumal

by Kaur Kender

Oodatud uus romaan pärast Kenderi edukat debüüti «Iseseisvuspäevaga». Tegevuskeskkonnaks kohalik reklaamimaailm. Haarav tegevus, mõnus keelekasutus.

Genres: Fiction

120 pages

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Kaur Kender, is an Estonian author and entrepreneur.

An advertising executive by profession, Kender entered the Estonian literary scene in 1998 with his debut novel "Independence Day" ("Iseseisvuspäev"). Since then his books have enjoyed unprecedented popularity in Estonia with the old and the young, the literary elite and the popular culture.

His writing is as controversial and provocative as his own life and personality – a semiotician and former advertising executive, he has once said that sometimes he wishes that truck drivers and prostitutes would write more books because they have unusual stories to tell.

Reviews

[Caspar Vega · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sporadically funny but still hard to follow. DNF.

[Juan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Following the tradition of buying local, I usually visit local libraries and buy a novel by some local author. Then, sometimes, I read it (I still have to read some novel by a Slovenian author no one ever has heard about). I bought this one in an amazing library in Tartu, right before It All Started.
The edition is kinda homebrew, typos and all. So people are not really running to translate this author, or any other Estonian author for that matter, into English. Until some crime writer gets labeled “Nordic Noir” and all flock to scrape the bottom of the barrel for anything Estonian.
This novel, however, is not going to be a breakthrough. It’s not that it’s bad. It’s kinda interesting, quirky, having some of the qualities that might make it a classic. It follows the internal dialogue of 4 persons working in an advertising agency through what looks like a few hours in a single day. Eva seems to have gone to bed with someone, maybe one of the others, we don’t really know who. Mada, Siffer, Gaffe… The names of petty gods, that manipulate the desires of people making them consume what they don’t want.
Eva’s inner dialogue is remarkably well done, using publicity copy, and showing how she’s affected with ad images. Gaffe talks to a non-existing David, and seems to be the Zeus of the Pantheon, having knowledge of everything. Siffer seems to spy on people, like an all-seeing (petty) god. Mada… like a Sisyphus, goes up the hill of trying to find the perfect copy sentence, only to fall down again.
All in all, as I say, not incredibly bad. However, sometimes it’s just rambling and does not really come together as a great, coherent thing. But nice to read even if you’ve never been, or plan to be, in Estonia.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must admit this was a bit over my head. There is some deep lurking brilliance (philosophy, social commentary, trying to make sense of a fast changing society that has lost its foundation, undesirable as it might have been but still providing structure, criticism of early post-socialist capitalism etc) but all in all it was just too much in my opinion. Trying to fit in too many ideas and jumping from one to the next. Four very unlikeable characters. The biblical metaphors are clear but again too much. The snake lurking Eve into eating the apple translates into Eva losing her job at the advertising agency after having been raped by Siffer/Lucifer as Jaffa/Yahwe, her boss had made virginity a pre-requisite for her position.... just too forced. All in all I don't at all feel that I have learnt anything about Estonia from this book - it could have been written anywhere by anyone. There are some serious questions raised that would provide for great philosophising for sure.

[Veleka Georgieva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Petty God is by far one of the most abstract books that I have read. With strong extended metaphors derived from the Bible this books offers a much more modern read of this ancient text. Separately the characters and situations described, even though extraordinarily written, are not outstanding; combined, however, all the stories tie up to an excellent piece of philosophical literature. In my opinion, even though the book itself is not strictly philosophical, a more careful read of it might be an eye-opener, as it encompasses so many different aspects of one’s life. Being written by Estonian writer Kaur Kender the book offers a fresh perspective on life and all the little bits and pieces that influence us daily, exploring both the psychological and the external factors that can change our lives.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in an Estonian advertising agency after the end of communism, “Petty God” deals with the absurdities of modern urban life and the psychological complexities that one runs into when faced with an overly consumerist reality and market-driven culture. Consisting of the monologues of the four characters, you get four different perspective of the world and how to “play the game of life”.

[Maarja Basihhina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Üks ühe-päeva-kiir-lugemine kamina kõrvale.
"Kuidas saada isaks" tasemele ei küündi, "Untitled 12" tasemele ka mitte. Üks on jumalik, teine on minu silmadele liig.
"Ärge lugege lambaid, rääkige karjasega. Hinge karjasega."
Pista too 21-aastase neiu kätte ja ta saab pikalt möelda mis jällegi see maailm endas peidab.
Segane. Väga segane värk.

[Jordan Mazur · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first third is good-ish. Then the structure gets annoying.

[Virginie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading the world in books: Estonia.
Strange strange book.