7 February (BNS)

A collection of Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves' essays, articles and speeches that appeared last September in Finnish translation under the title “Omalla äänellä” (By the Force of the Word) has now been published in Estonian with the title “Omal häälel”.

The book portrays Ilves as a statesman and thinker, as well as a person and an Estonian with an interesting background, Tänapäev publishers said, which is why the topics covered in the volume range from the years Ilves lived in Sweden and the United States, his work at Radio Free Europe, and his return to Estonia to key problems and future prospects of this country.

Even if the president's life and views are among the topics discussed in the book, it is not a biography nor a volume of memoirs, the publishing house said.

The Finnish version of the collection came out last September, making in the first post-publication weeks lists of best-selling books of the largest Finnish bookstore Akateeminen Kirjakauppa. The speeches, articles and essays were selected by the Helsinki-based Estonian political scientist and columnist Iivi Anna Masso who also conducted the long interview with Ilves contained in the book.