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You can read some of Books from Finland here: click the links Editorial This & that Prizefight: the quantity and quality of literary prizes; totems and monuments of Finnish literature; Finland revisited: a new bibliography of Finland; wonderful women on film; literature in translation 1997; Helvi Hämäläinen and Viljo Kajava in memoriam Sari Malkamäki The trees A short story from Sunnuntaina kahdelta ('Sunday at two', 1997), translated by Hildi Hawkins Maisa's life changes suddenly in this tale from the third collection of short stories by Sari Malkamäki (born 1962): when the trees outside her kitchen window are chopped down, her view of the world alters utterly Jyrki Kiiskinen Not yet, no more Poems translated by Anselm Hollo In the poetry published in Finland last year, Jyrki Kiiskinen finds a surprising thread of romanticism that links different generations. Poems by Jukka Koskelainen, Eira Stenberg, Arto Melleri, Helena Sinervo, Hannu Mäkelä, Juhani Kellosalo Kjell Lindblad The snake A short story from Oktober-mars ('October-March', 1997), translated by David McDuff In this horror story by the Finland-Swedish author Kjell Lindblad (born 1951), a man believes he is wandering among art installations in an apartment block - but the reality he is experiencing turns out to be much more sinister Ilkka Malmberg Under the greenwood tree Tuomi ('The bird cherry'), an essay from Elämän puu ('The tree of life', edited by Osmo Pekonen, 1997), translated by Hildi Hawkins The bird cherry blossoms in spring with an intoxicating and provocative scent. For Finns, the tree symbolises passion, often of the tragic variety; but for Ilkka Malmberg it is nothing but a sloppy diva, a bitch on heat Lassi Nummi The forest, everything Poems translated by Herbert Lomas and Anselm Hollo Lassi Nummi (born 1928) is, he says, a prose-writer turned poet - but a poet who has so far published 25 collections. A tree-loving modernist, he is also a romantic who is constantly amazed by the miracle of existence. Interview by Tarja Roinila This is the first in a series of interviews with contemporary Finnish writers Esa Sironen Great leap forward Zachris Topelius (1818-1898) was a journalist, writer, professor, much-loved children's writer, a progressive thinker and a champion of Finnishness in what was then the Russian grand duchy of Finland. Topelius travelled extensively in Finland and reported on what he saw as the industrial revolution began to take effect. Esa Sironen examines Topelius's image of ordinary people on the threshold of a new age Zachris Topelius The matchstick A fairy-tale, translated by David McDuff In this fairy-tale of 1879, Topelius seeks the moral core of the match and charts the limits of monomaniac ambition Jari Ehrnrooth The body politic Urho Kekkonen, president of Finland from 1956 to 1981, was proud of his body, and liked to display it whenever possible. The cultural historian Jari Ehrnrooth analyses his peculiar mix of narcissism and political ambition Reviews Pekka KorvenmaaNew translations Select bibliography Jyrki Lehtola Letter from Tampere Tampere, Finland's second city, may be a long way from Jakarta, but politics is a dirty game, and the dirt sticks even out in the sticks Top of page |