Taavi Novek “Valegiid deluxe”

Taavi Novek, a trained semiotician, is highly regarded for his distinctive art. In “Valegiid,” his extremely imaginative nature is also evident, with peculiar language use and strange trains of thought. Personal experiences, emotions, self- and social critique are presented through ruthless honesty and humor, with sharpest tropes.

This is a roman à clé, where a real journey through events, places, people, and self is only faintly disguised as fiction. The journey began when the author, traveling through Europe, consumed numerous psychotoxic substances in the Netherlands. Upon returning to Estonia, concerned relatives directed him to a psychiatrist, where he was diagnosed with schizophrenia without much hesitation.

The following four years involved treatment cycles: being restrained, lying on the floor, and being injected in the backside, followed by days of terrible rage, some days of sleep, several weeks of emotional numbness, a tongue hanging out, and the next six months of primitive vegetating. Hospital staff treated patients according to their diagnosis – for a schizophrenic, it meant no one cared whether he was a cow fed with silage or a person receiving another dose of medicine. During these four years, no one treated the author as a person. A turning point came with a change of doctor, who questioned the adequacy of the diagnosis and called a commission to reassess it. The schizophrenia diagnosis was replaced with dissociative disorder and depression. It was undoubtedly a result of the author’s experiences.

New treatment followed, and sometimes the author had to stay in semi-locked conditions due to motor disorders, stupor, and other issues. He was last there in 2011. Since then, significant improvement has been observed; the dissociative disorders have nearly disappeared.

Publisher: ;paranoia publishing group ltd.
Format: Softcover
Author: Taavi Novek
Editor: Lemmit Kaplinski
Illustrated by: Tuuli Aule
Year of Publication: 2014
Pages: 184
ISBN: 9789949955985

Pick it up yourself

Come and pick it up at our museum store at Raekoja plats 18, Tartu, 51004.

Itella Smartpost

Itella parcel machines are located in shopping centers so that you can grab a parcel on the side of your daily routine. To receive the package, all you need to do at the machine is to enter the door code sent to you via SMS on the touch screen – after that, the correct cabinet door opens and the package is in your hand!

DPD

Thanks to the real-time package tracking option, you can see where your package is. If your plans change, you can conveniently change the location or time of day when you receive the package. To receive the package, enter the door code included in the SMS sent to you on the touch screen.