Finnish writters

[Mornaran]

Hi everyone! I wanted to know books written by finnish writters, specially if I can find them translated into English.

[Maja]

Arto Paasilinna is very popular here in the recent years. There are not so many translations into English, but if you can help yourself with French or German... or some of other 35 languages his works are translated to...

The Year of the Hare

[Varislintu]

I was looking for a site with a useful list of all translated Finnish litterature, and I think I over-did it a little. This site (FiLi) and page:

http://www.finlit.fi/fili/

lists all (or most) translations done since 1812.

One can't bookmark inside the site, so from the main page you must click "English" to translate the site, and then press "TRANSLATIONS", and then "Translation database", to get to a search form. Don't fill in the form, in order to get the full list of translations. Just press submit. The database takes time to load.

Scroll a bit down the list. First, (beneath the vertical grey lines) they are sorted alphabetically by the name of the original author (surname, given name). Then all the titles by that author that have been translated are listed in black, by the original name (in Finnish or Swedish). Underneath these titles, the languages are listed (in blue) that have been translated into. After the language name, is a parenthesis with the publication date of the translation, and the title in the translated language. Not the easiest site to navigate, I think .

This is more useful for someone who wants to know if a particular book has been translated, though.

[Penn-kaled]

I've readen "Le lièvre de Vatanen" in French (by Arto Paasalinna), that's a very good book. The author describes many finnish landscapes, it's a positive and ecological writing.

I've just edited for I realize it's The Year of the Hare in English

I wonder why those books are not so transalted in English. In France Paasalinna books are popular too.

[Mornaran]

Ok, thanks, I'll try to find them, and if I don't find them in English I think I'll have to learn French!

[Krígl]

I recommend Ennen päivänlaskua ei voi by Johanna Sinisalo. It's beautiful book and it has been published in English (as Not before Sundown).

[Varislintu]

I recommend Ennen päivänlaskua ei voi by Johanna Sinisalo. It's beautiful book and it has been published in English (as Not before Sundown).

And it's special also because it is the first (and only) Finnish fantasy book translated into English.

[Mornaran]

Fantasy? I have to search it!

[Ulven]

And it's special also because it is the first (and only) Finnish fantasy book translated into English.

To me, the Kalevala seems like fantasy. I guess it has a few things different to have it categorized elsely, like the fact it's poetry and that it has way too much historical value.
Is the Kalevala 100% fiction? Sometimes, such epics are based on 'claimed' true events, even if between you and me (read: the modern, heartless sceptic ), they're total lies, hehe.

[Varislintu]

And it's special also because it is the first (and only) Finnish fantasy book translated into English.

To me, the Kalevala seems like fantasy. I guess it has a few things different to have it categorized elsely, like the fact it's poetry and that it has way too much historical value.
Is the Kalevala 100% fiction? Sometimes, such epics are based on 'claimed' true events, even if between you and me (read: the modern, heartless sceptic ), they're total lies, hehe.

The stories in Kalevala are fiction, or rather myth. This is pretty much agreed upon, I have never heard anyone claim they were based on historical events (except for this old fellow with a beard who lived in a cave, who got both publicity and followers for a while ). But on the other hand, the myths are to some extent "real". They are based on an old Finnish monoteism, belief in Ukko ylijumala, god of weather (thunder is called "ukkonen" in Finnish). This religion had some lesser semigods as well, as far as I know, like Tapio the god of cultivated fields, Ahti of water/fish, etc... The stories of the wizard Väinämöinen and his fellow heros were stories sung by Finnish "poem singers"; oral folklore. A man named Elias Lönnrot collected some of these stories, modified them, invented his own additions, and made all the little pieces into a comprehensive story called The Kalevala. He made five versions, actually, the newest one is the one that has been translated.

There are people even today who follow this old, pagan religion; neopagans, really, as I doubt this religion could have been passed on for so many generations in any family. They've all probably converted in modern times. It's a very small group, but still .

[Ulven]

There are people even today who follow this old, pagan religion; neopagans, really, as I doubt this religion could have been passed on for so many generations in any family. They've all probably converted in modern times. It's a very small group, but still .

What, wack-jobs like Sanna-Kurki Suonio...?

Ukkonen
Ukkonen ylinen herra
mies tarkka taivaallinen
tempaa tulinen miekka
mustan käärmehen verinen
tulisen tupen sisästä

iske tulta ilmarinta
välähytä Väinämöinen
selvälle meren selälle
lakialle lainehille

Iski tulta tuonen ukko
löi louhta luonnon ukko
tul ol tuas tuisahtanu
säken tuosta säikähtäny
poltti polvet poikaselta
sekä rinnat neitoselta

Thunder God*
Ukkonen, you mightiest master
mighty old man of the heaven
now pull out your sword of fire
stained with blood of the black viper
pull it from its fiery scabbard

strike a fire, father of winds
send our lightning, Väinämöinen
over the boundless open waters
over the waves of wide and high seas

The master of death, he did strike fire
sent out lightning, the wise old man,
the flame in fright struck up in the hearth
in alarm the sparks flew yonder
burned the knee-caps of a young boy
burned the breasts of a young maiden

song by Hedningarna

*Thunder God is the translation given for 'ukkonen' on the liner notes, but if in conversation one was to use 'ukkonen' for thunder, would that be commonplace enough, or would it seem overly poetic? (not that that'd stop me )

Hedningarna usually write their own lyrics, I think, but this looks straight out of Kalevala. Perhaps all the songs on this album are.

My favourite of their lyrics on this album, and my favourite song (which I sing hehe), is...

Metsan Tyttö
Metsan tyttö, tyttö mielineito
yön tyttö, tyttö hämärän neito

pane kulta kultakuontaloihin
laita vaski vaskivartaloihin

kehreä puna punainen lanka
kultaisesta kultakuontalosta

vaskisesta vaskivartalosta
vedä se joki jokien poikki

Metsän tyttö...

läpi soiden soiden läpi maiden
läpi korpi korpien kovien

poies poikkeamatta polulta poies
ilman tieltä tieltä eksymättä

Metsan tyttö...

Forest Maiden
Forest maiden, lovely lassie
vigin of night, girl of twilight

let the gold of your hair glitter
let the brass shine on your being

spin a thread with a red tincture
of the golden hair on your head

of the brass upon your being
pull it out across the river

Forest maiden...

across the marshland and the country
all across the dark and wild forests

stray not from your pursuit
do not lose the road you travel

Forest maiden...

Ah, how sweet! I absolutely LOVE these lyrics. It's lucky no-one in my neighbourhood hearing me sing such a girly song speaks Finnish (including me ) or my masculinity would be even further in question

Do you (Varislintu maybe the only one to know?) if this one, Metsan Tyttö, is from the Kalevala?

EDIT: I realized I mistyped a line as "let the grass shine on your being" It's supposed to be brass.

[Varislintu]

There are people even today who follow this old, pagan religion; neopagans, really, as I doubt this religion could have been passed on for so many generations in any family. They've all probably converted in modern times. It's a very small group, but still .

*Thunder God is the translation given for 'ukkonen' on the liner notes, but if in conversation one was to use 'ukkonen' for thunder, would that be commonplace enough, or would it seem overly poetic? (not that that'd stop me )

It would be quite commonplace. In fact, "ukkonen" doesn't imply "thunder god" at all to me, but I guess it is one possible nuance .

Hedningarna usually write their own lyrics, I think, but this looks straight out of Kalevala. Perhaps all the songs on this album are.

My favourite of their lyrics on this album, and my favourite song (which I sing hehe), is...

Metsan Tyttö
Metsan tyttö, tyttö mielineito
yön tyttö, tyttö hämärän neito

pane kulta kultakuontaloihin
laita vaski vaskivartaloihin

kehreä puna punainen lanka
kultaisesta kultakuontalosta

vaskisesta vaskivartalosta
vedä se joki jokien poikki

Metsän tyttö...

läpi soiden soiden läpi maiden
läpi korpi korpien kovien

poies poikkeamatta polulta poies
ilman tieltä tieltä eksymättä

Metsan tyttö...

Forest Maiden
Forest maiden, lovely lassie
vigin of night, girl of twilight

let the gold of your hair glitter
let the grass shine on your being

spin a thread with a red tincture
of the golden hair on your head

of the brass upon your being
pull it out across the river

Forest maiden...

across the marshland and the country
all across the dark and wild forests

stray not from your pursuit
do not lose the road you travel

Forest maiden...

Ah, how sweet! I absolutely LOVE these lyrics. It's lucky no-one in my neighbourhood hearing me sing such a girly song speaks Finnish (including me ) or my masculinity would be even further in question

Do you (Varislintu maybe the only one to know?) if this one, Metsan Tyttö, is from the Kalevala?

I did a search for some of the lines and long words here:

http://runeberg.org/kalevala/ .

It's project Runeberg's site with the whole fifth Kalevala in Finnish, with possibility to search its content (and other project Runeberg content). Apparantly, this song/poem is not from Kalevala . Very nice song, though. Maybe I should look in to this Hedningarna group!

[Mornaran]

Ah, how sweet! I absolutely LOVE these lyrics. It's lucky no-one in my neighbourhood hearing me sing such a girly song speaks Finnish (including me ) or my masculinity would be even further in question

Yeah, they're very beautiful...

[Jonne]

I like books by Ilkka Remes.

[SamoSamNina]

I'm a fan of the classics, stuff by Vaino Linna is well worth looking at, it'll give you a look at Finnish history too, through the lens of fiction. My favorites of his include 'The Uprising' and 'The Unknown Soldier'.