Tiina Laanem (b. 1974) is an Estonian prose writer, historical novelist, playwright, children’s author and publisher. She has written successfully for both adults and younger readers. Her debut novel, the satirical Little Old Men (Väikesed vanamehed), won first prize in the Estonian Novel Society’s competition, while her novel Falling Out of the Picture (Pildilt kukkujad, 2016), which charts recent history, received the A. H. Tammsaare Prize. Since 2019, Laanem has focused increasingly on writing for children, publishing six books to date. Her most recent, Striped on the Inside (Seest siiruviiruline), published last year and nominated for the Cultural Endowment’s children’s literature award, explores different generations and how we perceive them, asking whether age is merely a number or a state of mind. It also suggests that beneath an outwardly aged appearance there may still live a restless and tireless child.
Tiina Laanem
