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Editorial: Little warriors

This'n'that
And the greatest Finn was....; ten Finnish writers published on the internet; Tero Tähtinen on the new poems by Sirkka Turkka; Bror Rönnholm on the prose by Kjell Westö; best-sellers of 2004; Lahti International Writers' Reunion 2005; literary prizes; Jussi Kylätasku in memoriam

Sirkka Turkka
Goodbye darling
Poems from Niin kovaa se tuuli löi ('So bitterly the wind struck', Tammi, 2004), translated by Herbert Lomas
Sirkka Turkka (born 1939) loves animals; horses and dogs, in particular, are her constant companions, in life as in poetry. In her new collection, they are very mortal creatures; peopled with animals, these poems contain much love and grief

Kjell Westö
1968
A short story from Lugna favoriter ('Quiet favourites', Söderströms, 2004), translated by Silvester Mazzarella
In this short story, Kjell Westö (born 1961) moves between the year 1968 and the present. The space age may have arrived, but a young boy's loneliness in a newly built Helsinki suburb is not lessened by the magnificent cosmic visions opening up for the mankind

Pia Ingström
A world of make-believe
Monika Fagerholm likes to investigate alternative ways of people living together.
Her new novel about teenage girls, Den amerikanska flickan (Söderströms, 2004, published in Finnish as Amerikkalainen tyttö by Teos), was nominated as one of the two Finnish candidates for the Nordic Literary Prize in 2005. Pia Ingström and the author discuss ways of living and writing

Monika Fagerholm
Troubled waters
Extracts from the novel Den amerikanska flickan ('The American girl', Söderströms, 2004), translated by David McDuff
Two teenage girls and the mysterious death of a third, family secrets and secret games played, local residents and summer guests, woods and fen - is Monika
Fagerholm's new novel a thriller, a teen melodrama, or a study of happiness?

Maria Jotuni
In the wars
A short story from Jussi ja Lassi ('Jussi and Lassi', WSOY, 1921), translated by Herbert Lomas
The two little warriors in this 1920s story are brothers who have been listening carefully to the adults: one becomes 'Finland', the other, 'Russia' - and, to their mother's dismay, the result is a full-scale war in the nursery
This is the first part in a new series of brief portraits of classic Finnish authors.
Maria Jotuni (1880-1943) is introduced by Pekka Tarkka

Senni Timonen
The singer and the song
Senni Timonen (born 1944) has been devoted for decades to the research of the folk poetry of 19th- and 20th-century Karelia; last year she published a 600-page doctoral thesis on the subject. In this essay she describes her enchantment for that seemingly distant world and its people

Natalia Baer
Granny power
Introduction and photographs by Natalia Baer
Natalia Baer got interested in photographing old women when her own grandmother no longer wished to pose for her, claiming she was 'too old'. As a result, a selection of photographs from Baer's exhibition and a series of articles were published in Mummokirja ('The granny book', Kirjapaja, 2004), edited by Natalia Baer, Anna-Liisa Haavikko and Liisa Vihmanen

Tiina Tikkanen
My Granny and me
A memoir published in Mummokirja, translated by Hildi Hawkins
How archetypal can a Granny be? She lives in the country, keeps on good terms with her God, bakes delicious bread for all the family and is always there for the grandchildren - until she moves to heaven

Hannu Salmi
To the lighthouse
Profound love of books led to a variety of surprises, including a hundred boxes of books appearing in the living room of the couple who had set up a publishing house of their own. The future of Faros lies in the past, says Hannu Salmi; the company publishes classics, great and small
This is the first article in a series in which Finnish publishers write about their work and mission

Reviews

Anselm Hollo
Just the things
Juhani Seppovaara: Muistojen markkinoilla - sinivalkoiset arjen klassikot [In the marketplace of memories - the classics of blue and white everyday]

Lauri Carlson
As she is spoke
Hakulinen-Vilkuna-Korhonen-Koivisto-Heinonen-Alho: Iso suomen kielioppi [The big Finnish grammar], Häkkinen, Kaisa: Nykysuomen etymologinen sanakirja [Etymological dictionary of contemporary Finnish]

Asta Piiroinen
The world and the devil
Juha Sihvola: Maailmankansalaisen etiikka [Ethics for the world citizen]

New translations

Select bibliography

Letter from me
Dear diary, I am going to tell you a secret; Riina Katajavuori takes a look at the journal of a ten-year-old girl. Her latest book a novel about family life, Lahjat ('Presents') appeared last autumn