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Lähdin Istanbuliin. Totta ja tarua Euroopasta 1947
Lähdin Istanbuliin on yksi hienoimpia sodanjälkeistä Eurooppaa kuvaavia teoksia. Mika Waltari kirjoittaa teoksessa matkasta, jonka teki Sinuhe egyptiläisen ilmestyttyä hakeakseen aineksia seuraavia historiallisia romaanejaan varten. Waltarin äänessä on valloittavaa, myhäilevää huumoria ja hänen hyväntuulinen avoimuutensa tuo kirjailijan hyvin lähelle lukijaa. "...valloittaa lukijan seestyneellä, elämän koulussa kypsyneellä viisaudellaan ja ilmeikkäällä kertomistaidollaan", kirjoitti teoksesta Alpo Rautasuo.
274 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1948
About the author
Mika Waltari
238 books735 followersMika Toimi Waltari was a Finnish historical novelist, best known for his magnum opus The Egyptian.
Waltari was born in Helsinki and lost his father, a Lutheran pastor, at the age of five. As a boy, he witnessed the Finnish Civil War in Helsinki. Later he enrolled in the University of Helsinki as a theology student, according to his mother's wishes, but soon abandoned theology in favour of philosophy, aesthetics and literature, graduating in 1929. While studying, he contributed to various magazines and wrote poetry and stories, getting his first book published in 1925. In 1927 he went to Paris where he wrote his first major novel Suuri illusioni ('The Grand Illusion'), a story of bohemian life. In terms of style, the novel is considered to be the Finnish equivalent to the works of the American writers of the Lost Generation. (In Waltari's historical novel The Adventurer, taking place in the 16th century, the hero is a Finn who goes to Paris during his twenties and lives there a rather bohemian life). Waltari also was, for a while, a member of the liberal literary movement Tulenkantajat, though his political and social views later turned conservative. He was married in 1931 and had a daughter, Satu, who also became a writer.
Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Waltari worked hectically as a journalist and critic, writing for a number of newspapers and magazines and travelling widely in Europe. He directed the magazine Suomen Kuvalehti. At the same time, he kept writing books in many genres, moving easily from one literary field to another. He had a very busy schedule and strict work ethic. It has been claimed that he also suffered from insomnia and depression, sometimes to the extent of needing hospital treatment. He participated, and often succeeded, in literary competitions to prove the quality of his work to critics. One of these competitions gave rise to one of his most popular characters, Inspector Palmu, a gruff detective of the Helsinki police department, who starred in three mystery novels, all of which were filmed (a fourth one was made without Waltari involved). Waltari also scripted the popular cartoon Kieku ja Kaiku and wrote Aiotko kirjailijaksi, a guidebook for aspiring writers that influenced many younger writers such as Kalle Päätalo.
During the Winter War (1939–1940) and the Continuation War (1941–1944), Waltari worked in the government information center, now also placing his literary skills at the service of political propaganda. 1945 saw the publication of Waltari's first and most successful historical novel, The Egyptian. Its theme of the corruption of humanist values in a materialist world seemed curiously topical in the aftermath of World War II, and the book became an international bestseller, serving as the basis of the 1954 Hollywood movie of the same name. Waltari wrote seven more historical novels, placed in various ancient cultures, among which The Dark Angel, set during the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 is probably the best. In these novels, he gave powerful expression to his fundamental pessimism and also, in two novels set in the Roman Empire, to his Christian conviction. After the war, he also wrote several novellas, showing particular mastery in this genre. He became a member of the Finnish Academy in 1957 and received an honorary doctorate at the University of Turku in 1970.
Waltari was one of the most prolific Finnish writers. He wrote at least 29 novels, 15 novellas, 6 collections of stories or fairy-tales, 6 collections of poetry and 26 plays, as well as screenplays, radioplays, non-fiction, translations, and hundreds of reviews and articles. He is also the internationally best-known Finnish writer, and his works have been translated into more than 40 languages.
Waltari was born in Helsinki and lost his father, a Lutheran pastor, at the age of five. As a boy, he witnessed the Finnish Civil War in Helsinki. Later he enrolled in the University of Helsinki as a theology student, according to his mother's wishes, but soon abandoned theology in favour of philosophy, aesthetics and literature, graduating in 1929. While studying, he contributed to various magazines and wrote poetry and stories, getting his first book published in 1925. In 1927 he went to Paris where he wrote his first major novel Suuri illusioni ('The Grand Illusion'), a story of bohemian life. In terms of style, the novel is considered to be the Finnish equivalent to the works of the American writers of the Lost Generation. (In Waltari's historical novel The Adventurer, taking place in the 16th century, the hero is a Finn who goes to Paris during his twenties and lives there a rather bohemian life). Waltari also was, for a while, a member of the liberal literary movement Tulenkantajat, though his political and social views later turned conservative. He was married in 1931 and had a daughter, Satu, who also became a writer.
Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Waltari worked hectically as a journalist and critic, writing for a number of newspapers and magazines and travelling widely in Europe. He directed the magazine Suomen Kuvalehti. At the same time, he kept writing books in many genres, moving easily from one literary field to another. He had a very busy schedule and strict work ethic. It has been claimed that he also suffered from insomnia and depression, sometimes to the extent of needing hospital treatment. He participated, and often succeeded, in literary competitions to prove the quality of his work to critics. One of these competitions gave rise to one of his most popular characters, Inspector Palmu, a gruff detective of the Helsinki police department, who starred in three mystery novels, all of which were filmed (a fourth one was made without Waltari involved). Waltari also scripted the popular cartoon Kieku ja Kaiku and wrote Aiotko kirjailijaksi, a guidebook for aspiring writers that influenced many younger writers such as Kalle Päätalo.
During the Winter War (1939–1940) and the Continuation War (1941–1944), Waltari worked in the government information center, now also placing his literary skills at the service of political propaganda. 1945 saw the publication of Waltari's first and most successful historical novel, The Egyptian. Its theme of the corruption of humanist values in a materialist world seemed curiously topical in the aftermath of World War II, and the book became an international bestseller, serving as the basis of the 1954 Hollywood movie of the same name. Waltari wrote seven more historical novels, placed in various ancient cultures, among which The Dark Angel, set during the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 is probably the best. In these novels, he gave powerful expression to his fundamental pessimism and also, in two novels set in the Roman Empire, to his Christian conviction. After the war, he also wrote several novellas, showing particular mastery in this genre. He became a member of the Finnish Academy in 1957 and received an honorary doctorate at the University of Turku in 1970.
Waltari was one of the most prolific Finnish writers. He wrote at least 29 novels, 15 novellas, 6 collections of stories or fairy-tales, 6 collections of poetry and 26 plays, as well as screenplays, radioplays, non-fiction, translations, and hundreds of reviews and articles. He is also the internationally best-known Finnish writer, and his works have been translated into more than 40 languages.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 9, 2016
Ihana matkakirja, aikalaiskuvaus ja muistelmateos – vaikka Waltarissa onkin ärsyttäviä setämiehen piirteitä. Eurooppa herää henkiin matkan varrella, ja samalla kuin ohimennen nähdään sodanjälkisen jälleenrakennuksen aikaan.
May 1, 2024
Eräänlainen interrail Euroopassa vuonna 1947, jolloin laivat joutuivat väistelemään miinoja Itämerellä, amerikkalaisilla savukkeilla sai paljon ystäviä ja naisilla oli tapana pitää hassuja hattuja teatterissa.
August 12, 2017
Lukupiirissä tulee luettua kirjoja, joita ei muuten takuulla tulisi avattua. Olin lukenut Waltarilta aiemmin ainoastaan Sinuhen. Tämä matkakertomus sodanjälkeisestä Euroopasta kuitenkin yllätti positiivisesti. Kieli ei ollutkaan vanhahtavaa eikä tarina jaarittelevaa. Hämmästyksekseni suorastaan samastuin välillä Waltarin tuntemuksiin ja ajatuksiin. Vuonna 1947 Euroopan läpikulkuun tarvittiin vino pino viisumeita, vaikeasti saatavaa valuuttaa, mieluusti amerikkalaisia savukkeita sekä rohkeutta matkustaa laivassa ja lentokoneessa läpi myrskyjen. Hämmästyttävän monesta asiasta ajateltiin samoin jo silloin kuin nyt. Olikin mielenkiintoista huomata, miten kerroksellista ajattelumme on: miten suuri osa mielipiteistämme ja "nykyaikaisista" ajatuksistamme juontaa juurensa jostain kaukaa.
August 2, 2013
Luin oman Istanbulin matkani jälkimainingeissa. Mutta matka on mielenkiintoisempi kuin päämäärä. Tarinat Italiasta ja Pariisista ovat mielenkiintoisempia kuin mitä tapahtuu Istanbulissa. Jännittävä ajankuva, välillä jää miettimään onko tärkeämpää se mitä ei sanota (itäblokin tapahtumat) kuin se mitä sanotaan. Ja kun kirjan alaotsikko on "Totta ja tarua Euroopasta 1947", niin voi pohtia tapahtuiko kaikki ihan noin niinkuin kerrottiin.
March 6, 2025
A rare travel book about Europe right after WWII, in 1947. It contains many interesting details of post-war life in different European countries, and, probably even more important, it's very well written.
July 22, 2018
Kevyttä kesälukemista. Ihan hauskoja tarinanpalasia, mutta kokonaisuus jäi aika tilkkutäkiksi.
February 27, 2016
Mika Waltari a Istanbul. To jsou dvě slova, která mě upoutala a tak jsem knihu čapla, aniž bych si pořádně přečetla o čem je. Velmi poučný je popis Evropy těsně po druhé svétové válce. A samozřejmě samotý Istanbul, ke kterému jsem osobně hodně vázaná. Místa, která jsou popisována jsem sama prošla a je zajímavé, jak moc anebo málo se změnila. Jinak se mi ale kniha četla velmi špatně.
January 16, 2009
Waltari kuvaa samanaikaisesti erään historiallisen romaanin syntyprosessia ja sodan jälkeistä Eurooppaa. Mielenkiintoista luettavaa ja kirjailijan myhäilevä tyyli saa nauramaan synkkänä syysiltanakin.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews