On May 23, 2026, in collaboration with the Tallinn University ÜDI Literature Club, we held an intensive one-day seminar with young people interested in reading, focusing on the relevance of classical literature.
During the seminar, we discussed selected works of European literature and analyzed their relevance today. The works discussed included Hermann Hesse’s “Siddhartha” and Franz Kafka’s “The Trial” from the German language literature, George Sand’s “Gabriel” and Colette’s “The Vagabond” from the French literature, and Karel Čapek’s “War with the Newts” from the Czech literature.
The aim of the seminar was to encourage young people to think about how to support the reading of classic literary works in the digital age. Through various tasks, the young people had the opportunity to reflect on the relevance of the books, the relationships between characters, as well as the excitement and tedium of the plot. Similar workshops are also taking place in other European countries: the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, and France. The discussions in the workshop serve as input for a project funded by the European Commission (working title: “Interactive reading advisor and companion”), whose aim is to create an interactive reading companion and an international community that supports the reading of classic literary works.
Among the seminar participants were students from several schools across Estonia: Gustav Adolf Gymnasium, Jakob Westholm Gymnasium, Kadrioru German Gymnasium, Nõo Real Gymnasium, Tallinn Pelgulinna State Gymnasium, Tallinn Tõnismäe State Gymnasium, Vanalinna Educational Gymnasium. In addition, students from Tallinn University and the Estonian Academy of Arts also participated.
The young people emphasized that what was particularly important to them that they were able to discuss in small groups the books that both they and their peers had read in preparation for the seminar. They found it interesting to discuss the structure of the books and the relationships between the characters, and to see how differently the same work can be interpreted by different people.
Gabriel Chavarria and Rafael Denev helped prepare the seminar materials and organization, and the workshop was led by Aija Sakova and Robin Lek. Based on the seminar materials, a freely available resource for schools and teachers will also be produced later.
The workshop was supported by the European Commission through the project “Interactive reading advisor and companion.”
Photos by Hanna Uutsalu.
