The Poetics of Affect beyond Good and Evil: Nietzsche’s Philosophy in the Prose Poetry of Jaan Oks

Abstract

The most characteristically decadent author of Estonian culture during the early twentieth century was Jaan Oks (1884–1918), due to his poetics and his overall attunement to decline. Oks declared himself a decadent,[i] a status that was also affirmed by his contemporaries.[ii] Details of his biography – his mental instability, social marginalization, and torturous early death from osteoarticular tuberculosis – have also contributed to his reputation as a decadent.

[i] Jaan Oks, Orjapojad (Ilmamaa, 2004), p. 283.

[ii] Aino Kallas, ʻJaan Oksʼ, Siuru, 2 (1918), pp. 99-110.