Ma armastasin sakslast - Anton Hansen Tammsaare

A. H. Tammsaare's (1878–1940) novel "I Loved a German" was first published in 1935 and immediately received a lively response. Deviating from the norms of the Silent Era, the sometimes extremely critical novel is a masterpiece of Estonian psychological realism, which contemporary critics criticized for belittling the Estonian type and inciting pessimism, but was nevertheless forced to admit the birth of a new, modern novel in Estonian literature.

The novel is set in the late 1920s. The main character is Oskar, a weak student from the fraternity, who has interrupted his studies due to financial difficulties and lack of willpower, but does not want to return to his parents' home in the countryside. Renting a room in the home of an Estonian landlady, he falls in love with the governess, Erika, the daughter of an impoverished baron. That their love collides with something much more powerful than them – human nature, which no change in the social order can easily change...

Tammsaare masterfully depicts the situation, types, and the characters' world of thought, and it is particularly remarkable that what is being described has not lost its credibility even today and continues to live on.

The basis for this edition is the original manuscript, which allowed later editions to be adapted to the original, allowing the reader to enjoy Tammsaare's excellent use of language even better.