Synopsis

The central figure of this book is Lennart Meri, the first president of the newly restored Republic of Estonia. As a child, Lennart travelled the world with his family, learnt languages, and developed a deep love of books. Before becoming head of state, he was a writer and film-maker. Charismatic and courageous, Lennart believed that a nation’s greatest wealth lies in its culture, language, and learning.

This is the first volume in a biographical series for schoolchildren, A Small Beginning, a Great Story. Each book tells the life of an important figure in Estonian cultural history, as though narrated by the protagonist themselves. Alongside the biography, the book offers an overview of the person’s creative work, explanations of key terms, handwritten quotations, creative tasks, drawings inspired by photographs, and comics. The series encourages the idea that any child may grow up to become a president, a writer, a top athlete, or a composer.