Monument to Well-Worn Books Installed in Courtyard of Estonian National Library

This week, a bust titled "Monument to Books Read to Tatters" was delivered straight from the foundry and installed in the inner courtyard of the Estonian National Library. The Estonian language captures this well-worn state with an expression that translates roughly as "read to cabbage."

The monument pays tribute to books as carriers of stories, knowledge and imagination, said one of its creators, artist Jass Kaselaan, in remarks conveyed by the National Library's press service.

Kaselaan, together with Jenny Katri Elena Grönholm, created the monument for the National Library to depict the book as a physical object — one that is opened and read again and again until it wears out.

Classic form, new meaning

According to the authors, an important part of the work's concept is its play on the classical monument and pedestal form. The sculpture deliberately uses a traditional, somewhat old-fashioned monumental shape, but gives it a different meaning.

The monument is set to be officially unveiled at the end of 2026.