|
|
You can read some of Books from Finland here:
click the links
Editorial: Cultural diversity and
cows' stomachs
This 'n' that
Herbert Lomas on Saila Susiluoto's poems;
Pia Ingström on the remarkable memoirs of Agneta von Koskull;
Hildi Hawkins on translating Raija Siekkinen's
fiction; Harry Forsblom on a short story by Olli Jalonen;
poetry on translation; Kristina Carlson on literary magazines born
and reborn; literary prizes; Hannu Salakka in memoriam; errata
Saila Susiluoto
Nothing but light
Prose poems from Huoneiden kirja ('A book of rooms', Otava,
2003), translated by Herbert Lomas
In Saila Susiluoto's poem-rooms the reader meets two hundred girl-embryos,
galloping leaf-horses and seven wonders of the sea
Agneta von Koskull
Living with Her Ladyship
Extracts from the memoir Från Twenty Gold till Kent
('From Twenty Gold to Kent', Schildts, 2003), translated by Silvester
Mazzarella
Renata, Catherine and the redoubtable Agneta live their 1950s Helsinki
childhood in a Finland-Swedish family where silver gleams from the
mahogany furniture. But their baroness Mummy is a chain smoker and
an alcoholic who hides bottles in the umbrella stand – and
Agneta hates the Finnish she is forced to learn: for her, it is
an illness, not a language
Raija Siekkinen
Time difference
A short story from Kalliisti ostetut päivät ('Dearly
bought days', Otava, 2003), translated by Hildi Hawkins
Fear of flying has always plagued the main character in this story
by Raija Siekkinen (born 1953); during a long sojourn in an airport,
waiting for a flight, she relives former travels, former loves
Olli Jalonen
Toward good management practice
A short story from the collection Värjättyä rakkautta
('Dyed love', Otava, 2003), translated by Hildi Hawkins
In some countries dogs appear on the dinner table, cats end up embellishing
fashion garments. This dystopian story by Olli Jalonen (born 1954)
offers a modest proposal for the efficient use of domestic pets
– and hints at the infinite cruelty of all that we take, use
and discard
Jyrki Kiiskinen
Writing about now
The poet and novelist Jyrki Kiiskinen (born 1963) wonders how a
poet can capture the present, a mission both impossible and unavoidable
This essay is the second in a series by writers who reflect on the
world as seen through their own writing
Hannu Marttila
More than a thousand words
The veteran press photographers Martti Brandt and Hans Paul have
both been freezing seconds in their camera lenses since the 1960s.
The journalist Hannu Marttila interrogates some of their talkative
photographs of the world
Seppo Heiskanen
Brushes with history
Maija Karma (1914–1999) was a prolific illustrator of classic
fairytales and text books for children. In her pictures animals
and children are depicted with a gentle but accurate pen or brush
This is the fourth in a series of profiles of book illustrators
and designers featured in this year's issues of Books from Finland
Nøste Kendzior
Far out
Finland and Norway share 700 kilometres of border, but are they
close to each other in any sense but the geographical? Not so: according
to the translator Nøste Kendzior (born 1950), a translator
of Finnish needs pioneering skills as well as persistence
Reviews
Janna Kantola
The sadness of everything
Pekka Tarkka: Pentti Saarikoski. Vuodet 1937–1963
[Pentti Saarikoski. The years 1964–1983], Pentti
Saarikoski. Vuodet 1964–1983 [Pentti Saarikoski. The years
1964–1983]
Peter Davidson
Men who live in holes
Henceforth the Anglo-Saxon is the Brother of the Finn. Poems
about Finland 1634–2000. Edited and introduced by Anssi
Halmesvirta and David Wilson
New translations
Selected bibliography
Letter from
Pernaja
The poet and translator of Japanese Kai Nieminen lives in the country,
where it is 'peaceful' – and yet so much distracting life
goes on outside his study window that he prefers working at night,
much to the wonderment of his neighbours
Top of page
|
