4.7 Finnish literature: Early writers in Finnish
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This article is from the Nordic countries FAQ, by Antti Lahelma and Johan Olofsson, with numerous contributions by others.
4.7 Finnish literature: Early writers in Finnish
The first great prose writer in Finnish - considered by some to
be the most genial - was Aleksis Kivi (1834-72), a novelist and
playwright who during his lifetime was largely ignored. Major
works include Seitsemän Veljestä (The Seven Brothers, 1870),
his most celebrated play, and the comedy Nummisuutarit (The
Heath Shoemakers, 1864). He was more modern and many-sided in
his expression than Runeberg, but his image of the Finnish
people was too "raw" and realistic for most people of his era,
and he died in extreme poverty, suffering from a mental
illness.
Minna Canth (1844-97), an energetic fighter for women's rights
and social justice, was a contemporary of Juhani Aho
(1861-1921), a novelist and short-story writer known for his
humorous sketches and lyrical, dreamy descriptions of nature.
Eino Leino (1878-1926) was a poet of exceptional talent,
drawing heavily on the Kalevala tradition. His main themes are
love and nature, and poem collections such as Helkavirsiä
(Helka-hymns, 1903), Halla (Frost, 1908) which includes the
wonderful love/nature poem Nocturne, and Hymyilevä Apollo (The
Smiling Apollo) are still much-loved. V. A. Koskenniemi often
turned to classical themes. Uuno Kailas wrote harsh,
self-analytic verse, whereas Kaarlo Sarkia sought solace in
aestheticism and fantasy. The personal, abrupt, and humorous
poetry of Aaro Hellaakoski and the equally humorous, learned,
yet folklike verse of P. Mustapää were only appreciated after
1945. The generation of the 1950s, including Paavo Haavikko and
Eeva-Liisa Manner, introduced new poetic forms to which their
successors often added absurd humor, formalist experimentation,
and social criticism.
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