”Spring” (1912), which belongs to juvenile literature, occupies a peculiar position in Estonian literature, because it is well known to every member of the nation. In Estonia the young heroes of ”Spring” are as popular as Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn with the European and American readers.
”Spring” is largely based on the author’s memories of his schooldays. He draws a vivid picture of a typical country school in Estonia towards the end of the 19th century, mainly attended by the peasant children. A peculiar feature of school life at that time was that the reactionary czarist government demanded instruction of the more important subjects in Russian. In a way the narrative also reflects the age-old conflict between the Estonian peasant children and the offspring of the local German landlords. Yet the literary merits of the work are to be sought in the masterfully drawn characters and the truthful depiction of the psychology of schoolchildren.