Aldous Huxley Centre in Tallinn
The Centre's purpose is to make sense of a rapidly changing world, to articulate a new kind of worldview, and to promote free thought in the spirit of Aldous Huxley.
"We are all geniuses until the age of ten."
Aldous Huxley
"We bring young people closer to art and literature."
Kaie Metsla, Member of the Aldous Huxley Centre
Aldous Huxley's literary work can be discovered simply out of curiosity and the joy of reading. For example, Huxley's novel Point Counter Point is a true masterpiece of modernism. But there is more to it than that. Among the writers of the
first half of the 20th century, there were two authors whose visions of the future have endured and taken on a life of their
own. George Orwell's 1984 depicts a society of coercive surveillance. Huxley's scenario is a degree gentler: it foresees
a society in which people have gradually given up their freedom in exchange for every kind of benefit and pleasure. The
Western world today, including Estonia, seems to be marching more in the direction indicated by Huxley than by Orwell.
This makes Huxley a rather distinctive writer.
Tiit Aleksejev, Member of the Aldous Huxley Centre
Events
Essay Competition 2025
The International Aldous Huxley Centre in Tallinn invites young people up to the age of 25 to submit their thoughts and
insights to the essay competition "Crisis and a Way Out".
"The fundamental problem of the 21st century is ecological."
Aldous Huxley
Huxley's work can be a starting point for writing – for setting out on a path and putting into words what feels important in
today's and tomorrow's world.
Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) was one of the most versatile authors of the 20th century. He is usually seen as a
representative of utopian and dystopian genres; he is less often analysed from the perspective of nature and ecology.
Yet in Island, written at a time when ecological awareness was lower than it is today, Huxley wrote prophetic words:
"One must never let a child get the impression that anything exists in isolation. From the very beginning, it must be made
clear that all living nature is interconnected.
Show them the relationships and connections in the forest, in the fields, in ponds and rivers, in the village and in the
countryside around it. Rub it in... We are allowed to live on this planet only so long as we treat all nature with
compassion and with intelligence."
The essay deadline is 31 March 2025, and essays should be sent to huxley@ebs.ee. Texts up to 2,000 words are
welcome, and the winner will be awarded EUR 1,500.
Aldous Huxley Conference "If the Unthinkable Happens" – 24 May 2024
The conference featured talks by prominent international guests Paul Kingsnorth, Robin Hull, and Ville-Juhani Sutinen.
Our leading cultural thinker and translator, Mart Valjataga, represented Estonia.
In recent years, the world has changed beyond recognition. It can be compared to a chariot racing through crises and
shocks. Together, we looked for answers: how resilient is this vehicle, and what forces must it withstand? The answers
concern us all. Quite a few of Aldous Huxley's views have proven prophetic by now. At the conference, we examined in
greater depth the spiritual legacy of one of the 20th century's most mysterious authors, from political, cultural, and
ecological perspectives.
With a gaze directed forward.
In recent years, the world has changed beyond recognition. It can be compared to a chariot racing through crises and shocks. Together, we looked for answers: how resilient is this vehicle, and what forces must it withstand? The answers concern us all. Quite a few of Aldous Huxley's views have proven prophetic by now. At the conference, we examined in greater depth the spiritual legacy of one of the 20th century's most mysterious authors, from political, cultural, and ecological perspectives. With a gaze directed forward.