Literature occupied a prominent place in the Soviet Union’s cultural policy because the new Soviet man could be cultivated by way of literature. The work of the Estonian Soviet Writers’ Union literary consultants also reflects the ideological role of literature. Literary consultants were in office starting from 1945. There were separate consultants for poetry and prose. There was also a consultant for authors who wrote in Russian. Consultant positions were salaried. They worked either on a permanent basis as their principal job or on a part-time basis as a second job. The hiring of consultants was affirmed by decision of the Board of the Writers’ Union. The Board of the Writers’ Union also repeatedly discussed the work of the consultants.

The reviews written by the literary consultants highlight the rhetoric and ideological patterns of that time. The job of the literary consultants was to give advice to beginner authors, whose works the consultants reviewed. The consultants also made recommendations for the publication of the writings that had been sent to them as well as for their rejection. The consultants supervised the oeuvre of beginner authors to ensure that it conformed to the ideological guidelines of the time and also gave them concrete suggestions for following those guidelines. Yet the artistic level of works was also important.

The writer Eduard Männik (1906–1966) fulfilled the role of literary consultant in 1957–1958 and later on as well. As a consultant, Männik reviewed prose, poetry, and plays. His reviews provide an insight into the thought patterns of the era. His reviews were not meant to be published, rather they were only feedback for the authors.

Eduard Männik’s reviews provide an idea of the work and tasks of the literary consultant. The reviews could be cursorily brief or thorough reviews several pages long. Regardless of this, their basic traits are similar, like highlighting ideological requirements and stressing writing skills. Since the reviewer also had his say regarding the publication of works, then Männik has also given recommendations for publication or found that the work in question was not worthy of publication.