Oskar and the Things is a children’s novel by Andrus Kivirähk, translated from Estonian by Adam Cullen and illustrated by Anne Pikkov. ‘Oskar was wrestling with a similar uneasy feeling right now – that his dad’s car would have barely made it off the drive before those kids from the village would come crawling out of the woodwork to carry him off to their fort, no matter how hard he struggled. After that, they’d drag him into the woods, and then somewhere else to go fishing, and then to who-knows-what other horrible places. And Grandma wouldn’t protect him at all – she’d just stand on the porch, holding a bucket and nodding in satisfaction: Ah yes, the countryside is the perfect place for children in summer!’
Author
Andrus Kivirähk is an Estonian journalist, playwright and novelist. His writing style can be called self-mocking and sarcastic with dark humour. His best known work "Rehepapp ehk November", a.k.a. "Rehepapp", has been translated to Finnish and Norwegian. "Mees, kes teadis ussisõnu", a bestseller in Estonia, so popular that a board-game was based on it, has been translated to English as "The Man Who Spoke Snakish". These books, as well as his other historical-themed works such as "Ivan Orava mälestused" and "Kalevipoeg" resonated strongly with contemporary Estonian society. Kivirähk is also the author of the children's book "Leiutajateküla Lotte" and its sequels, and wrote the screenplay for the cartoon based on it. Andrus Kivirähk works as a journalist, and is married with 3 children.
