The article investigates the foreign reception of Estonian literature and concen trates on why some piece of literature is chosen for translation and how its distri bution works. It comprises four case studies, i.e. the Estonian epic "Kalevipoeg" by Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald, the novel "The Czar's Madman" by Jaan Kross, "The Man Who Spoke Snakish" by Andrus Kivirähk, and "Child of Glass" by Maarja Kangro. It shows how different times, different language areas and differ ent approaches constitute various versions of reception.