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Sõjaromaan
1954. aasta jõulukuul ilmunud «Tundmatu sõdur» on saanud tunda nii lugejate armastust kui ka paljude mõistmatust ja viha. Varemalt olid lugejad pidanud vaatama soomlaste suurimat sõda pilguga, mis oli kõrgete väepealike staapides kaartidele suunatud, nüüd aga piidlesid nad lahinguvälja kuulipildujakompanii sõdurite hirmust, higist ja pakasest kissis silmadega.
Mõnikümmend meest muutusid tervele rahvale nii armsaks ja omaseks, et igaühe surm tõi leina lugeja südamesse ning igaühe pääsemine tegi õnnelikuks. Iga sõna ja tunne selles epopöas on ehtne ja Väinö Linna, kes selle Taaveti ja Koljati heitluse ise kuulipilduja taga üle elas, on suutnud kogetu panna siirastesse ja lihtsatesse lausetesse, mis ütlevad eesti lugejale Soome ja soomlaste kohta enam tõtt kui miski muu...
Nüüdseks on «Tundmatu sõduri» ja tema algupärase, Nõukogude Liidu ja kiriku huvides tsenseerimata variandi «Sõjaromaani» trükiarv ületanud 700 000 piiri. Sellise au osaliseks on Soomes varem saanud ainult piibel, Aleksis Kivi «Seitse venda» ja Johan Ludvig Runebergi «Lipnik Ståli lood».
Mõnikümmend meest muutusid tervele rahvale nii armsaks ja omaseks, et igaühe surm tõi leina lugeja südamesse ning igaühe pääsemine tegi õnnelikuks. Iga sõna ja tunne selles epopöas on ehtne ja Väinö Linna, kes selle Taaveti ja Koljati heitluse ise kuulipilduja taga üle elas, on suutnud kogetu panna siirastesse ja lihtsatesse lausetesse, mis ütlevad eesti lugejale Soome ja soomlaste kohta enam tõtt kui miski muu...
Nüüdseks on «Tundmatu sõduri» ja tema algupärase, Nõukogude Liidu ja kiriku huvides tsenseerimata variandi «Sõjaromaani» trükiarv ületanud 700 000 piiri. Sellise au osaliseks on Soomes varem saanud ainult piibel, Aleksis Kivi «Seitse venda» ja Johan Ludvig Runebergi «Lipnik Ståli lood».
525 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
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About the author
Väinö Linna
22 books103 followersVäinö Linna was one of the most influential Finnish authors of the 20th century. He shot to immediate literary fame with his third novel, Tuntematon sotilas (The Unknown Soldier, published in 1954), and consolidated his position with the trilogy Täällä Pohjantähden alla (Under the North Star, published in 1959–1963 and translated into English by Richard Impola).
Väinö Linna was born in Urjala in the Pirkanmaa region. He was the seventh child of Viktor (Vihtori) Linna (1874–1927) and Johanna Maria (Maija) Linna (1888–1972). However, Linna's father, a butcher, died when Väinö Linna was only eight years old. Thus his mother had to support the entire family by working at a nearby manor. Despite his background, Linna's interest in literature began early on. As a child, Linna loved adventure novels which he borrowed from the local library. The author's education was, however, limited to six years at a public school which he finished in the mid-1930s. After working as a lumberjack and a farm hand at the same manor where his mother had worked, Linna moved to Tampere in 1938. Typical of his generation, the adolescent author-to-be moved from the countryside to a developing city in search of industrial labour which he found at the Finlayson textile mills.
In 1940, Linna was conscripted into the army. The Second World War had broken out, and for Linna's part it meant participation in the Continuation War (1941–44). He fought on the eastern front. In addition to being a squad-leader, he wrote notes and observations about his and his unit's experiences. Already at this point Linna knew that writing would be his preferred occupation. However, failure to get the notes published led him to burn them. In spite of rejection, the idea of a novel, which would depict ordinary soldiers' views on war, would later lead him to write The Unknown Soldier.
After the war, Linna got married and started writing whilst working at the mills during the day. Throughout his time at Finlayson, Väinö Linna read avidly. Such authors as Schopenhauer, Dostoyevsky, and Nietzsche gained Linna's respect. Linna later said that Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front had also had a great influence on him. However, Linna's first two novels Päämäärä and Musta rakkaus sold poorly; he also wrote poetry but did not enjoy success with that either. Not until the release of The Unknown Soldier (1954) did he rise to fame. It is evident that at the time there was a distinct social need for a novel that would deal with the war and ordinary people's role in it. A decade after the peace treaty with the Soviet Union many Finns were ready to reminisce, some even in a critical manner. The Unknown Soldier satisfied that need completely, as its characters were unarguably more diverse, realistic yet heroic, than those of earlier Finnish war novels. The book soon became something of a best-seller, as it sold 175,000 copies in only six months — quite a lot for a Finnish novel in the 1950s. Yet, the reception of the book was harsh. In Finland's biggest newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, the critic Toini Havu argued in her infamous review that Linna did not present his characters in a grand historical and ethical context, which she thought was crucial. Also modernists treated The Unknown Soldier with contempt. At the time Tuomas Anhava referred to The Unknown Soldier as a "boy's book" because of its action-packed storyline. The acceptance of the general public and Linna's determination were, however, enough to outdo the criticism in the end.
In the mid-50s, Linna moved to Hämeenkyrö and began to cultivate crops. In 1959, the first part of Under the North Star was released. The book was a success and other parts were to follow. The second part was published in 1960 and the final part in 1963. In 1964, Linna sold the farm and moved back to Tampere. This time he did not return to Finlayson, as he now could dedicate his life entirely to literature due to the financial success hi
Väinö Linna was born in Urjala in the Pirkanmaa region. He was the seventh child of Viktor (Vihtori) Linna (1874–1927) and Johanna Maria (Maija) Linna (1888–1972). However, Linna's father, a butcher, died when Väinö Linna was only eight years old. Thus his mother had to support the entire family by working at a nearby manor. Despite his background, Linna's interest in literature began early on. As a child, Linna loved adventure novels which he borrowed from the local library. The author's education was, however, limited to six years at a public school which he finished in the mid-1930s. After working as a lumberjack and a farm hand at the same manor where his mother had worked, Linna moved to Tampere in 1938. Typical of his generation, the adolescent author-to-be moved from the countryside to a developing city in search of industrial labour which he found at the Finlayson textile mills.
In 1940, Linna was conscripted into the army. The Second World War had broken out, and for Linna's part it meant participation in the Continuation War (1941–44). He fought on the eastern front. In addition to being a squad-leader, he wrote notes and observations about his and his unit's experiences. Already at this point Linna knew that writing would be his preferred occupation. However, failure to get the notes published led him to burn them. In spite of rejection, the idea of a novel, which would depict ordinary soldiers' views on war, would later lead him to write The Unknown Soldier.
After the war, Linna got married and started writing whilst working at the mills during the day. Throughout his time at Finlayson, Väinö Linna read avidly. Such authors as Schopenhauer, Dostoyevsky, and Nietzsche gained Linna's respect. Linna later said that Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front had also had a great influence on him. However, Linna's first two novels Päämäärä and Musta rakkaus sold poorly; he also wrote poetry but did not enjoy success with that either. Not until the release of The Unknown Soldier (1954) did he rise to fame. It is evident that at the time there was a distinct social need for a novel that would deal with the war and ordinary people's role in it. A decade after the peace treaty with the Soviet Union many Finns were ready to reminisce, some even in a critical manner. The Unknown Soldier satisfied that need completely, as its characters were unarguably more diverse, realistic yet heroic, than those of earlier Finnish war novels. The book soon became something of a best-seller, as it sold 175,000 copies in only six months — quite a lot for a Finnish novel in the 1950s. Yet, the reception of the book was harsh. In Finland's biggest newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, the critic Toini Havu argued in her infamous review that Linna did not present his characters in a grand historical and ethical context, which she thought was crucial. Also modernists treated The Unknown Soldier with contempt. At the time Tuomas Anhava referred to The Unknown Soldier as a "boy's book" because of its action-packed storyline. The acceptance of the general public and Linna's determination were, however, enough to outdo the criticism in the end.
In the mid-50s, Linna moved to Hämeenkyrö and began to cultivate crops. In 1959, the first part of Under the North Star was released. The book was a success and other parts were to follow. The second part was published in 1960 and the final part in 1963. In 1964, Linna sold the farm and moved back to Tampere. This time he did not return to Finlayson, as he now could dedicate his life entirely to literature due to the financial success hi
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 364 reviews
April 3, 2009
Most people outside Scandinavia hardly even know what happened to Finland during World War II. Initially, the Russians had a non-aggression pact with the Germans, so that left their hands free to attack Finland. The Finns defended doggedly, but it looked like it was just a matter of time. Then the Germans launched Operation Barbarossa, and the Russians were suddenly fighting for their lives. The Finns, operating on the "enemy's enemy" principle, coordinated their counter-attack on Russia with the Germans. Both phases of the war were horrifyingly savage. At the end, since the Finns were technically classed as an Axis power, they had to pay enormous reparations to Russia, basically for the crime of having been attacked, and then defending themselves robustly.
This book presents a matter-of-fact account of what it was like to be a low-level Finnish soldier in this hellish little corner of WW II. It's pretty good.
This book presents a matter-of-fact account of what it was like to be a low-level Finnish soldier in this hellish little corner of WW II. It's pretty good.
October 16, 2012
Having read much on Finland, Russia, the Winter War, Mannerheim, the Continuation War, Finnish Civil War---I wanted a fictional account. I have read hundreds of quality war books, from Juengers books to Remarque, Grossmans "Life and Fate", Barry, Hemingway, Spanish Civil War, Russian, Irish, but this...this was hallucinatory, odd, strange. The men depicted are human: cowards, patriotic, afraid, horny, confused. Linna got much shit for this book. Impola says it wasn;t the best translation, but it works. Of course Finna will say it's a different book from the Finnish original---it is. Just as any Hemingway book is different in English than the Basque version---add to this, a people will have different emotions. For a Basque to read For Whom the Bell Tolls , will be a different experience than for an American. Same holds true for Finns and this book. Small , proud nation holds back one of the most violent, illogical dictatorships ever. In their first confrontation, the Soviets had a Pyrrhic victory.The "sisu" of the Finns is unparalled. I am Irish and Indian(feather, not dot)---we have warriors, are known for our ferocity...but the Finns and what they did to the Soviets? One of the biggest defeats in military history. Imagine a ragtag army of lumberjacks, miners, fishermen going against a behemoth that sends recruits in waves; the Soviet Army basically won by attrition. The Continuation War was more senseless, in this one , towards the end, men died, en masse, and soldiers wondered "why"?Linna captures the despair, the hopes dashed, the fear as few other writers have done, in any language. One of the best moments is when they capture, and live, in a Karelian village, with Russians and Finns. Haitonen(?) falls for a beauty, who is also a Communist. He brings his bread ration to her charges, two small children. Today, the West suffers from "too much"---at one time our people suffered greatly. One of the most courageous, valiant people the world, let alone Europe, has ever seen is Finland. "They were good men", is the last line of the novel. And, they were, the mad, the cowards, the brave. Wolfs Paw and Rokka are men one will never forget. The deaths come at you unannounced, just as it does in real life. This isnt a reality show, nothing is staged. there are no premonitions, no foreshadowing. A man is introduced, he speaks, he expresses thought, laughs, then is shot in the face or blown to pieces. The platoon captures territory and is pushed back,they obviously dont have as many men as the Soviets, and it tells, it is the decisive factor.The men fight like wolverines, then at one point it dawns on them: we will lose. Some continue to fight, just as rabidly as before, others lose it. When Linna introduces the reader to this fact, that Finland will lose and the soldiers the reader has come to know, continue to die, needlessly, the heart constricts---this isn't a novel so much as a piece of a peoples soul.
September 14, 2019
The title of this edition was "Unknown Soldiers" not "The Unknown Soldier" as many other English translations use. I think "Unknown Soldiers" is a much more apt title.
The Finnish-Russian Continuity War is described through one Finnish machine gun company from the start to armistice.
There is no single central character as it describes the men through their various backgrounds, social, political views, geographical and language. It gives a sense of the variety of the people of Finland.
The various characters are either brave, scared, blase, eccentric, loyal, ambitious, idealistic, cynical. It includes the stoic Kosekla from the Under the North Star (Reconciliation).
The soldiers are all portrayed as thinking men who question what is going on but are generally realistic that they have a job to do. Some are true heroes, some are reluctant heroes and some are just unlucky.
The battle scenes are as brutal as I have read. These sections reminded me very much of the writing of James Jones especially in The Thin Red Line. It is also an anti-war book. Quite brilliant.
The Finnish-Russian Continuity War is described through one Finnish machine gun company from the start to armistice.
There is no single central character as it describes the men through their various backgrounds, social, political views, geographical and language. It gives a sense of the variety of the people of Finland.
The various characters are either brave, scared, blase, eccentric, loyal, ambitious, idealistic, cynical. It includes the stoic Kosekla from the Under the North Star (Reconciliation).
The soldiers are all portrayed as thinking men who question what is going on but are generally realistic that they have a job to do. Some are true heroes, some are reluctant heroes and some are just unlucky.
The battle scenes are as brutal as I have read. These sections reminded me very much of the writing of James Jones especially in The Thin Red Line. It is also an anti-war book. Quite brilliant.
December 5, 2015
Omg! I did it! Only took me 16 years, but I finally finished this book!
August 25, 2023
"This isn't a war, this is just horror after horror."
What struck me initially about this Finnish WW2 classic novel, aside from all that mud, is just how American it felt in regards to some of the slang speech by an assortment of characters within the Finnish battalion. Because of this I was reminded of novels like The Thin Red Line and The Naked and the Dead. Whether this was simply down to the translator I have no idea, but it all felt somewhat bizarre. Anyway, despite this and the fact that it did feel a little too drawn-out, I was still deeply drawn into their world of camaraderie and the ferocity of combat. Through officers, generals, gunners and medics, Linna, who fought on the Eastern Front as a machine-gunner himself, paints a vivid canvas of those on the front lines; from the calm-before-the-storm to the intense brutal battles and relentless carnage, you can truly get a sense of the exhaustion, the hunger, the cold, the grind, as these ragged men, with morale in tatters, fighting the dirtiest of armed conflicts. And like most of the best WW2 fiction featuring combat, this is about hardships not heroics. An Immensely powerful work.
September 29, 2015
Väinö Linnan "Tuntematon sotilas" (WSOY, 2009) on niitä kirjoja, joista on vaikea kirjoittaa mitään uutta tai ennen näkemätöntä. Olen lukenut kirjan useita kertoja, mutta lienenköhän viimeksi lukenut sen viimeksi opiskeluaikaan, yli kymmenen vuotta sitten? Niin tai näin, romaanin tapahtumat olivat hyvin mielessä ihan yksittäisten kohtausten ja jopa repliikkien tasolla.
Ei ole varmaan liioiteltua väittää, että kirja onkin osa jonkinlaista suomalaista kollektiivista tajuntaa, lainataanhan sitä toistuvasti erilaisissa yhteyksissä - eikä tietysti joka itsenäisyyspäivä esitettävän elokuvan roolia voi vähätellä. Tuttuudestaan huolimatta "Tuntematon" tempaisi mukaansa, ja luin kirjan käytännössä parilta istumalta yhden vuorokauden aikana.
Linnan henkilögalleria on mieleenpainuva, vaikka ehkä hahmot paikoitellen jäävätkin vähän yhden ominaisuuden tyypeiksi. Kokonaisuutena he kuitenkin edustavat hienosti sitä monimuotoisuutta, josta yksi ikäluokka suomalaisia miehiä aina kulloinkin koostuu: mukaan mahtuu niin isänmaallista idealistia kuin kyynistä korpikommunistia, niin sankaria kuin pelkuria, omalaatuisia puolihulluja ja sutkeja poskisolisteja unohtamatta.
"Tuntemattomaan sotilaaseen" liittyvä keskustelu on monesti yhtä mielenkiintoista luettavaa kuin kirja itsessään. Linnan teos näyttäytyy lukijoille eri tavalla, joko pasifistisempana tai sitten isänmaallisempana kuvauksena jatkosodasta. Kumpikin tulkinta on kai mahdollinen, ja varmaan sen vuoksi romaani näytteleekin niin isoa roolia kansallisessa kulttuurikaanonissamme.
Aikalaiskritiikki ei ottanut "Tuntematonta" vastaan kamalan suopeasti, ja tällä lukukerralla oikeastaan hahmotin ensimmäisen kerran kunnolla, mistä Kaltio-lehden Atte Kalajoki ja muut pahoittivat mielensä. Lammion kaltaisia upseereja suomitaan hyvinkin osoitellen, mutta myös korpisotureiden ja lottien ympärille rakennettua sankarimyyttiä puretaan olan takaa. Rahikainen välittää seksipalveluja Petroskoissa, ja Raili Pietikäisellä on miehiä useampiakin, sekaantuupa hän jopa sodan loppupuolella pst-mieheen.
Niin kliseiseltä kuin se kuulostaakin, niin kyllä kaikkien suomalaisten pitäisi lukea tämä kirja ainakin kerran.
Ei ole varmaan liioiteltua väittää, että kirja onkin osa jonkinlaista suomalaista kollektiivista tajuntaa, lainataanhan sitä toistuvasti erilaisissa yhteyksissä - eikä tietysti joka itsenäisyyspäivä esitettävän elokuvan roolia voi vähätellä. Tuttuudestaan huolimatta "Tuntematon" tempaisi mukaansa, ja luin kirjan käytännössä parilta istumalta yhden vuorokauden aikana.
Linnan henkilögalleria on mieleenpainuva, vaikka ehkä hahmot paikoitellen jäävätkin vähän yhden ominaisuuden tyypeiksi. Kokonaisuutena he kuitenkin edustavat hienosti sitä monimuotoisuutta, josta yksi ikäluokka suomalaisia miehiä aina kulloinkin koostuu: mukaan mahtuu niin isänmaallista idealistia kuin kyynistä korpikommunistia, niin sankaria kuin pelkuria, omalaatuisia puolihulluja ja sutkeja poskisolisteja unohtamatta.
"Tuntemattomaan sotilaaseen" liittyvä keskustelu on monesti yhtä mielenkiintoista luettavaa kuin kirja itsessään. Linnan teos näyttäytyy lukijoille eri tavalla, joko pasifistisempana tai sitten isänmaallisempana kuvauksena jatkosodasta. Kumpikin tulkinta on kai mahdollinen, ja varmaan sen vuoksi romaani näytteleekin niin isoa roolia kansallisessa kulttuurikaanonissamme.
Aikalaiskritiikki ei ottanut "Tuntematonta" vastaan kamalan suopeasti, ja tällä lukukerralla oikeastaan hahmotin ensimmäisen kerran kunnolla, mistä Kaltio-lehden Atte Kalajoki ja muut pahoittivat mielensä. Lammion kaltaisia upseereja suomitaan hyvinkin osoitellen, mutta myös korpisotureiden ja lottien ympärille rakennettua sankarimyyttiä puretaan olan takaa. Rahikainen välittää seksipalveluja Petroskoissa, ja Raili Pietikäisellä on miehiä useampiakin, sekaantuupa hän jopa sodan loppupuolella pst-mieheen.
Niin kliseiseltä kuin se kuulostaakin, niin kyllä kaikkien suomalaisten pitäisi lukea tämä kirja ainakin kerran.
May 26, 2014
One of the best books about the war I have ever read! Without pathos, without philosophy and another bla-bla-bla. The book describes important moment of Finland history. On the example of Finland it is possible to learn history of all Europe, and maybe the whole world of that time. In this book we can see original true Finland with her own history and traditions. It is perfectly possible to understand national character and temper of people. This is simple soldier's truth about the war. The truth is cruel and for many it can be the shocking. In book there is much more life itself, than thoughts and philosophy about life. Soldier in the war think about his stomach in the first… highest ideals and matters aren't so interesting to him. This isn't so beautiful and loftily as in many other books about war, but it is more realistic than the majority of them.
November 26, 2015
Read this in 81. When visting Finland 81 Helsinki Marathon I brought home 3 copies for friends in the States
January 31, 2015
En pysty vielä prosessoimaan sitä mitä tulin juuri lukeneeksi. Minua itkettää. Lyhyesti sanottuna: loistava kirja.
January 13, 2016
Tuntemattomasta sotilaasta puhuttaessa ei ole ylisanoja säästelty. Se on kaunistelematon ja rehellinen kokoelma kohtaloita. Aiheeltaan se on synkkä ja raskas, mutta ei täysin hylkää huumoria. Klassikko on yksi niistä kirjoista, joiden uskoo antavan vielä enemmän toisella tai kolmannella lukukerralla
December 27, 2016
Vaikka elokuvaversin Rokka oli jotenki todellä ärsyttävä, kirjassa nousi yhdeksi lempihahmoksi Koskelan rinnalle. Olen yllättynyt miten paljon kirjasta pidin ja miten mukaansatempaava se onkaan! Ne niin monet surkeat ihmiskohtalotmeni ihon alle ja monta kertaa itketti. Huh, voimakas ja vavisuttava teos. Kannatti ehdottomasti lukea!
January 1, 2025
En ole sotakirjallisuuden suuri ystävä, mutta tämän kirjan ansiot kasvoivat muistuttamalla lukiessa itseään kirjan julkaisun poliittisesta, yhteiskunnallisesta ja kulttuurisesta kontekstista. Hahmot ja heidän kuvaamisensa oli antoisinta, olisin mieluusti sukeltanut heidän ajatuksiinsa myös yksilötasolla vielä enemmän. Toki sitäkin oli, mutta aika paljon sellaista ”miehet ajattelivat/pelkäsivät/jne.” meininkiä.
”Kuopion potkukelkkapataljoona” ja ”saatanan tonttu, sotken sut suohon” jää käyttöön
”Kuopion potkukelkkapataljoona” ja ”saatanan tonttu, sotken sut suohon” jää käyttöön
April 15, 2023
Lepsze niż „Na zachodzie bez zmian”, change my mind
ps. Blame Koskela for my high expectations of men
ps. Blame Koskela for my high expectations of men
February 6, 2016
Reviewed at Read & Survive
The Unknown Soldier (Tuntematon sotilas) is author Väinö Linna’s first major novel and his other major work besides Under the North Star. Published in 1954, it is a story about the Continuation War between Finland and the Soviet Union as told from the viewpoint of ordinary Finnish soldiers. In general, I avoid reading Finnish books because I don’t get ‘high’ from reading them and they are often very dull. However, I like Tuntematon sotilas (The Unknown Soldier). It took me a very long time to read it through but I’m glad I finished it. I like how it represents some kind of a Finnish collective consciousness.
The prose is short, direct, and to the point. It was a very different from reading it in English than in Finnish. I like the scale of different characters in Tuntematon sotilas. There are Finns from different parts of Finland, speaking in different dialects, from different backgrounds and social classes and having very different personalities and characteristics. I also liked how well this book represented Finland during Continuation War. Nation was still torn apart after the Finnish Civil War and in WW2, many who had fought on opposite sides, fought now on the same side.
4/5 stars
The Unknown Soldier (Tuntematon sotilas) is author Väinö Linna’s first major novel and his other major work besides Under the North Star. Published in 1954, it is a story about the Continuation War between Finland and the Soviet Union as told from the viewpoint of ordinary Finnish soldiers. In general, I avoid reading Finnish books because I don’t get ‘high’ from reading them and they are often very dull. However, I like Tuntematon sotilas (The Unknown Soldier). It took me a very long time to read it through but I’m glad I finished it. I like how it represents some kind of a Finnish collective consciousness.
The prose is short, direct, and to the point. It was a very different from reading it in English than in Finnish. I like the scale of different characters in Tuntematon sotilas. There are Finns from different parts of Finland, speaking in different dialects, from different backgrounds and social classes and having very different personalities and characteristics. I also liked how well this book represented Finland during Continuation War. Nation was still torn apart after the Finnish Civil War and in WW2, many who had fought on opposite sides, fought now on the same side.
4/5 stars
January 17, 2018
Kerta kerralta parempi ja rakkaampi.
July 5, 2024
Som en På västfronten intet nytt fast om Finland. Också som en kollektivroman, för att man följer olika soldater på vägen, några dör, några tillkommer, jag tror inte någon är med hela vägen igenom. Torr humor, soldaternas olika personligheter visar på mångfalden, hur de luttras i kriget, gradvis värre och värre situation. Det stod någonstans att det är en i grunden pacifistisk roman, men nog spänningsgörs kriget också, samtidigt som dess fasansfulla sidor också skildras, med tiden alltmer avmätt. En hyfsat realistisk skildring, föreställer jag mig. "Ryssarna är inte människor", den känslan kvarstår genom romanen, så särskilt humanistisk upplever jag den inte. Jag vill bara att alla ska vägra hålla på. Det finns också en obehaglig passage där det talas okommenterat om att sälja kvinnor, efter att de intagit Petroskoy (Petrozavodsk). Boken gav perspektiv kring Finlands del i andra världskriget på ett sätt jag inte riktigt haft förut. Men jag tror att jag uppskattade På västfronten intet nytt mer, för att den innehöll mer känslor typ?
Obs, jag är ingen krigsskildringsfantast direkt, och alla tusen strider går mig helt förbi, det finns nog ingen som kan beskriva strider på ett sätt som jag skulle finna intressant eller relevant ens.
Obs, jag är ingen krigsskildringsfantast direkt, och alla tusen strider går mig helt förbi, det finns nog ingen som kan beskriva strider på ett sätt som jag skulle finna intressant eller relevant ens.
January 17, 2026
Jeesus Perkele.
Yläasteella katsoin ekaa kertaa sen Laineen leffan ja siitä asti on kasvanut häpeä siitä etten ole kirjaa lukenut. Sillä vähän lähdin lukemaan, kun pitää. Mutta jestas - paljon enemmän kuin jotakin pakollista, paljon enemmän kuin häpeänhävitystä.
Pirun hyvä kirja. Ei paljoa tarvinnut tähtiluokitusta miettiä. Elävää, todellista. Kertojan ääni jotenkin lempeä. Välillä etäisempi, kuvaileva, selittävä, välillä uponnut ajatuksiin ja iholla kiinni. Kieli monipuolista murteineen ja kuolemattomine lausahduksineen, terävää ja kaikkeen kietoutuvaa. Nälän, lian, vuoden- ja vuorokaudenajat tuntee, ne välittyvät kuvauksista välillä hyvinkin hienovaraisesti, välillä karun töksähtävästi. Aika on kokemus, aluksi sekunnit kuluvat piinallisen hitaasti, lopuksi kuukaudet hujahtavat ohi. Turtumus taisteluun ja samaan aikaan ikuinen tottumattomuus pelkoon välittyvät, värähdyttävät.
Ja ne hahmot. Helvetti. En ala. Ihan rehellisesti mietin, että ois kyllä Koskelan saanut jättää henkiin. Että sen olis kuulunut selviytyä. Ei vain siksi että se on hyvä ihminen, ei siksi että se on linkki tämän ja Pohjantähden välillä, vaan siksi että siitä rakennettiin selviytyjää. Hietanen - voi Hietanen, jo silloin yläasteella suosikki! - oli koko ajan sentyyppinen sankari joka ei voi muuta kuin lopulta kuolla. Leipää lapsille ja miinan naamiointi ja leikinlasku ja rakastuminen, pakkohan sen on sinne jäädä. Koskela tietysti sankarihahmo myös, mutta eri tapaan - vaitelias, hiljaisempi, vetäytyvämpi, kunnioitettu mutta vähemmän huomiota kiinnittävä. (Ja ne suunnitelmat armeijasta eroamisesta! Itkettää perkele.) Ei (mielestäni) sellainen traaginen sankari jonka kuolemaa ei ehkä tunnekuohuissaan arvaa mutta jonka koittaessa huomaa että olisi pitänyt. Tavallisemmin hyvä ihminen. Aina oikeudenmukainen. Ihmislähtöinen. Humalassa laulaa kapinalauluja ja nukahtaa aurinkoon näkemään painajaisia.
Siinä onkin se suurin realistisuus. Sattuma.
Ja kuten jo kerran twitterissä totesin, eihän Rokkaa voi jättää mainitsematta. Onneksi sentään selvisi, eihän tätä muuten kestäis. Periksiantamattomuus ja asenne, niin kiinni todellisuudessa. Samaan aikaan huumoria heittävä isällinen hahmo ja - ei julma, varsinaisesti, mutta niin kylmäverinen että pelottaa. Jollakin tasolla muistuttaa kovasti Koskelaa, mutta toisaalta täysi vastakohta.
”On muistettava, etteivät ne ihmistä kummempia ole nekään. Lyijyä ne tottelee niin kuin kaikki muutkin.”
- Koskela, s. 61.
[”Minkälaista se on ihmistä ampua?”]
”Mie en tiiä. Mie en oo ampunt ko vihollissii.”
- Rokka, s. 411.
Tästähän voisin näköjään selittää vaikka kuinka pitkälle. Mutta tiivistäen:
Ihan mielettömän hyvä kirja. Syvästi inhimillinen.
Yläasteella katsoin ekaa kertaa sen Laineen leffan ja siitä asti on kasvanut häpeä siitä etten ole kirjaa lukenut. Sillä vähän lähdin lukemaan, kun pitää. Mutta jestas - paljon enemmän kuin jotakin pakollista, paljon enemmän kuin häpeänhävitystä.
Pirun hyvä kirja. Ei paljoa tarvinnut tähtiluokitusta miettiä. Elävää, todellista. Kertojan ääni jotenkin lempeä. Välillä etäisempi, kuvaileva, selittävä, välillä uponnut ajatuksiin ja iholla kiinni. Kieli monipuolista murteineen ja kuolemattomine lausahduksineen, terävää ja kaikkeen kietoutuvaa. Nälän, lian, vuoden- ja vuorokaudenajat tuntee, ne välittyvät kuvauksista välillä hyvinkin hienovaraisesti, välillä karun töksähtävästi. Aika on kokemus, aluksi sekunnit kuluvat piinallisen hitaasti, lopuksi kuukaudet hujahtavat ohi. Turtumus taisteluun ja samaan aikaan ikuinen tottumattomuus pelkoon välittyvät, värähdyttävät.
Ja ne hahmot. Helvetti. En ala. Ihan rehellisesti mietin, että ois kyllä Koskelan saanut jättää henkiin. Että sen olis kuulunut selviytyä. Ei vain siksi että se on hyvä ihminen, ei siksi että se on linkki tämän ja Pohjantähden välillä, vaan siksi että siitä rakennettiin selviytyjää. Hietanen - voi Hietanen, jo silloin yläasteella suosikki! - oli koko ajan sentyyppinen sankari joka ei voi muuta kuin lopulta kuolla. Leipää lapsille ja miinan naamiointi ja leikinlasku ja rakastuminen, pakkohan sen on sinne jäädä. Koskela tietysti sankarihahmo myös, mutta eri tapaan - vaitelias, hiljaisempi, vetäytyvämpi, kunnioitettu mutta vähemmän huomiota kiinnittävä. (Ja ne suunnitelmat armeijasta eroamisesta! Itkettää perkele.) Ei (mielestäni) sellainen traaginen sankari jonka kuolemaa ei ehkä tunnekuohuissaan arvaa mutta jonka koittaessa huomaa että olisi pitänyt. Tavallisemmin hyvä ihminen. Aina oikeudenmukainen. Ihmislähtöinen. Humalassa laulaa kapinalauluja ja nukahtaa aurinkoon näkemään painajaisia.
Siinä onkin se suurin realistisuus. Sattuma.
Ja kuten jo kerran twitterissä totesin, eihän Rokkaa voi jättää mainitsematta. Onneksi sentään selvisi, eihän tätä muuten kestäis. Periksiantamattomuus ja asenne, niin kiinni todellisuudessa. Samaan aikaan huumoria heittävä isällinen hahmo ja - ei julma, varsinaisesti, mutta niin kylmäverinen että pelottaa. Jollakin tasolla muistuttaa kovasti Koskelaa, mutta toisaalta täysi vastakohta.
”On muistettava, etteivät ne ihmistä kummempia ole nekään. Lyijyä ne tottelee niin kuin kaikki muutkin.”
- Koskela, s. 61.
[”Minkälaista se on ihmistä ampua?”]
”Mie en tiiä. Mie en oo ampunt ko vihollissii.”
- Rokka, s. 411.
Tästähän voisin näköjään selittää vaikka kuinka pitkälle. Mutta tiivistäen:
Ihan mielettömän hyvä kirja. Syvästi inhimillinen.
July 14, 2020
Longish review at my blog. Short version: Outstanding. The best war novel I’ve read since Matterhorn. Worth your while.
Here’s my review of the 2017 film adaptation, the novel’s third time being adapted for film.
Finnish novel about a horrible conflict most Americans have never heard of. Sought this out after talking about the Winter War and the Continuation War with a Finnish coworker. There are three film versions; he says that Finns watch the original 1955 version the way Americans watch It's a Wonderful Life.
Here’s my review of the 2017 film adaptation, the novel’s third time being adapted for film.
Finnish novel about a horrible conflict most Americans have never heard of. Sought this out after talking about the Winter War and the Continuation War with a Finnish coworker. There are three film versions; he says that Finns watch the original 1955 version the way Americans watch It's a Wonderful Life.
September 2, 2017
The Unknown Soldier by Väinö Linna is a classic of Finnish literature. I bought both the English translation and the Finnish original when I lived in Helsinki during the summer of 2000. Typical of my reading habits is that I buy a book but procrastinate years until I actually read it. To commemorate this year of the Finnish centennial of independence, I decided to read all of my books about Finland that are heretofore unread. While the original was published in 1954 as Tuntematon sotilas, the first English translation appeared in 1957. I read the novel in translation with the Finnish original by my side. The dialogue was too regional and the military terminology too advanced for my Finnish language skills. However, in spite of the war lingo I was not overwhelmed or felt as if Linna was writing only for military aficionados. I credit the impressive translation for making military strategy palpable for readers like myself who normally do not read war stories.
Before I even opened the book, I was prepared for the stilted awkwardness of a sixty-year-old translation. Yet the unnamed translator made the novel flow at a rapid clip and the dialogue was as contemporary as if it was spoken today. It all seemed so real, as if I was eavesdropping while embedded with a platoon. I looked forward to my time with this novel and sat reading chunks at a time. Linna wrote about a regiment during the Continuation War, which took place between Finland and the USSR in the early forties. Since Linna was a veteran of this war I can suppose that much of what he wrote were his own personal experiences.
It is my habit that when I embark on reading a new book to refrain from reading anything about it. I won't say that I don't read any book reviews in advance, for that is how I acquire knowledge about what I might want to read in the future. However, if I have immediate plans to read a book, and definitely when I have already started reading it, whether fiction or nonfiction, I hold off reading any reviews to avoid tainting my overall impression. Thus with The Unknown Soldier I was struck by how often the unnamed translator omitted entire sections. I did not know this in advance. I would be reading along in English and as I am a language nerd I was always curious about the original text. I flipped to the appropriate page and compared it to the Finnish original. Yet when I turned to the original Finnish language text I discovered lengthy passages and even poems that were totally left out. And some lines of text were inexplicably altered. For example, when the regiment receives a new band of young soldiers, they are asked their age. In the original text, they are twenty-five years old, yet in the English translation, they're seventeen! Why change this? When I was in Finland last year I saw the English translation for sale under a new title Unknown Soldiers, but paid no attention to it. Now I realize that this version reflects a new translation from 2015. Further research informs me that the new translation is more faithful to the original text. I am inclined to buy it this time--as I will be in Finland in a matter of days after posting this review--and with the 1957 translation still fresh in my memory, read the new version. It will be the first time I have ever read the same novel in two different translations.
I bought The Unknown Soldier with the prejudice that it, while a classic of Finnish literature, would be a boring read. I wanted to read it nonetheless because I had heard of its reputation as a classic. How surprised I was to discover so much humour, soldier irreverence and blatant disregard for authority. I would never have thought those would be characteristics within the classic Finnish war novel. I expected valiant heroism in the eyes of defeat, soldiers striving against the odds to save the fatherland from the Soviet empire and tales of superhuman heroism. I would not be exaggerating when I say that I expected to read about an entire battalion of Finnish James Bonds. Yet Linna, no doubt drawing on his own wartime experience, made the soldiers and their superiors far more human than these stereotypical supermen. Linna's regiment comprised all sorts of personalities: young men who had no idea what they were doing; resentful soldiers who talked back to their superiors; jokers who took nothing seriously; obsessive-compulsives who dragged everything along with them in spite of the encumbrance; daisy-eyed optimists who saw only victory regardless of the destruction and retreat of their own regiment and low-ranked soldiers like my favourite character, Rokka, who heeded no one's advice as all too often his strategizing was better than the sergeants'. He always one-upped his superiors and even in the face of punishment had the lines ready to counter the charges against him. He was the Teflon soldier of his regiment, always leading the way and defying death.
The translator captured Linna's sense of humour in wartime, as in the following passage about food:
"The field kitchen doled out oatmeal porridge specked with chunks of meat which had a most unsavory look.
"'What is it?'
"'Horse meat.'
"'Horse meat?'
"'Yes. An old horse.' Hietanen took the gristle he had been chewing out of his mouth. 'And the signs all point to it being a gypsy's nag. I can see the whip marks.'"
and women, who were often on the soldiers' minds:
"Hietanen was so immersed in his own feelings that he hardly heard Vanhala. But even without hearing he made an effort to indicate that he admired Vera only because of her dancing, lest the others should taunt him about the way he was attracted to the girl.
"'I don't know how a human being can spin like that. At home the girls I used to dance with made me feel like I was pushing a plough around.'"
Linna certainly turned stoic military authority on its ear when he wrote about the attitude of one regimental commander. Instead of regarding the act of inspection with emotionless stiffness, the commander expressed his intestinal fortitude in another context:
"Later in the evening the battalion turned out on parade; the regimental commander himself having arrived to distribute the decorations in person. He began by inspecting the battalion, looking at each man as though he were trying to divine the inmost thoughts of his mind. It is one of the greatest of military achievements to be able to walk down ranks of men staring at each one with knitted brows and encountering vacant stares in return without laughing."
I am very interested in comparing the new English translation to the original text in the above passages, for the translator of the 1957 version took leaping liberties in the English.
Without giving away any spoilers, the novel documents Finnish history during the Continuation War. Any history book will tell you that Finland was repelled and lost its regained territory to the Soviet Union. The regiment advances then pulls back, losing ever more men in the process. Linna wrote about the horrors of bodily injuries and it was sad to see some beloved characters succumb to their injuries. War is unpredictable and in some cases I would be happily following a character through the novel, only to be shocked by reading, at the turn of a page, about that character's sudden death by sniper fire or grenade attack. The reader was not allowed any time to mourn as Linna kept the rapid clip of the novel moving--as in wartime--where bodies were loaded upon stretchers and shipped out. You will be surprised at the number of men who end up dying.
Before I even opened the book, I was prepared for the stilted awkwardness of a sixty-year-old translation. Yet the unnamed translator made the novel flow at a rapid clip and the dialogue was as contemporary as if it was spoken today. It all seemed so real, as if I was eavesdropping while embedded with a platoon. I looked forward to my time with this novel and sat reading chunks at a time. Linna wrote about a regiment during the Continuation War, which took place between Finland and the USSR in the early forties. Since Linna was a veteran of this war I can suppose that much of what he wrote were his own personal experiences.
It is my habit that when I embark on reading a new book to refrain from reading anything about it. I won't say that I don't read any book reviews in advance, for that is how I acquire knowledge about what I might want to read in the future. However, if I have immediate plans to read a book, and definitely when I have already started reading it, whether fiction or nonfiction, I hold off reading any reviews to avoid tainting my overall impression. Thus with The Unknown Soldier I was struck by how often the unnamed translator omitted entire sections. I did not know this in advance. I would be reading along in English and as I am a language nerd I was always curious about the original text. I flipped to the appropriate page and compared it to the Finnish original. Yet when I turned to the original Finnish language text I discovered lengthy passages and even poems that were totally left out. And some lines of text were inexplicably altered. For example, when the regiment receives a new band of young soldiers, they are asked their age. In the original text, they are twenty-five years old, yet in the English translation, they're seventeen! Why change this? When I was in Finland last year I saw the English translation for sale under a new title Unknown Soldiers, but paid no attention to it. Now I realize that this version reflects a new translation from 2015. Further research informs me that the new translation is more faithful to the original text. I am inclined to buy it this time--as I will be in Finland in a matter of days after posting this review--and with the 1957 translation still fresh in my memory, read the new version. It will be the first time I have ever read the same novel in two different translations.
I bought The Unknown Soldier with the prejudice that it, while a classic of Finnish literature, would be a boring read. I wanted to read it nonetheless because I had heard of its reputation as a classic. How surprised I was to discover so much humour, soldier irreverence and blatant disregard for authority. I would never have thought those would be characteristics within the classic Finnish war novel. I expected valiant heroism in the eyes of defeat, soldiers striving against the odds to save the fatherland from the Soviet empire and tales of superhuman heroism. I would not be exaggerating when I say that I expected to read about an entire battalion of Finnish James Bonds. Yet Linna, no doubt drawing on his own wartime experience, made the soldiers and their superiors far more human than these stereotypical supermen. Linna's regiment comprised all sorts of personalities: young men who had no idea what they were doing; resentful soldiers who talked back to their superiors; jokers who took nothing seriously; obsessive-compulsives who dragged everything along with them in spite of the encumbrance; daisy-eyed optimists who saw only victory regardless of the destruction and retreat of their own regiment and low-ranked soldiers like my favourite character, Rokka, who heeded no one's advice as all too often his strategizing was better than the sergeants'. He always one-upped his superiors and even in the face of punishment had the lines ready to counter the charges against him. He was the Teflon soldier of his regiment, always leading the way and defying death.
The translator captured Linna's sense of humour in wartime, as in the following passage about food:
"The field kitchen doled out oatmeal porridge specked with chunks of meat which had a most unsavory look.
"'What is it?'
"'Horse meat.'
"'Horse meat?'
"'Yes. An old horse.' Hietanen took the gristle he had been chewing out of his mouth. 'And the signs all point to it being a gypsy's nag. I can see the whip marks.'"
and women, who were often on the soldiers' minds:
"Hietanen was so immersed in his own feelings that he hardly heard Vanhala. But even without hearing he made an effort to indicate that he admired Vera only because of her dancing, lest the others should taunt him about the way he was attracted to the girl.
"'I don't know how a human being can spin like that. At home the girls I used to dance with made me feel like I was pushing a plough around.'"
Linna certainly turned stoic military authority on its ear when he wrote about the attitude of one regimental commander. Instead of regarding the act of inspection with emotionless stiffness, the commander expressed his intestinal fortitude in another context:
"Later in the evening the battalion turned out on parade; the regimental commander himself having arrived to distribute the decorations in person. He began by inspecting the battalion, looking at each man as though he were trying to divine the inmost thoughts of his mind. It is one of the greatest of military achievements to be able to walk down ranks of men staring at each one with knitted brows and encountering vacant stares in return without laughing."
I am very interested in comparing the new English translation to the original text in the above passages, for the translator of the 1957 version took leaping liberties in the English.
Without giving away any spoilers, the novel documents Finnish history during the Continuation War. Any history book will tell you that Finland was repelled and lost its regained territory to the Soviet Union. The regiment advances then pulls back, losing ever more men in the process. Linna wrote about the horrors of bodily injuries and it was sad to see some beloved characters succumb to their injuries. War is unpredictable and in some cases I would be happily following a character through the novel, only to be shocked by reading, at the turn of a page, about that character's sudden death by sniper fire or grenade attack. The reader was not allowed any time to mourn as Linna kept the rapid clip of the novel moving--as in wartime--where bodies were loaded upon stretchers and shipped out. You will be surprised at the number of men who end up dying.
December 6, 2024
”Mää ole niin kauhia hämmästyny eten mää ittekkä ollenkas tiärä kui hämmästyny mää ole.”
Voisin lukea kokonaisen kirjan pelkästään Hietasen repliikkejä. Harva kirja on niin koskettava kuin Tuntematon.
Voisin lukea kokonaisen kirjan pelkästään Hietasen repliikkejä. Harva kirja on niin koskettava kuin Tuntematon.
December 4, 2025
Mä en olettanu pitäväni tästä kirjasta (aattelin että tää ois ”vaan tylsä sotakirja”), mutta olin kyllä ihan väärässä - tää oli ihan huikee kirja! Ja mä todellakin oon sitä mieltä, että jokasen suomalaisen pitäs lukee tää kirja vähintään kerran elämänsä aikana jo ihan yleissivistyksen takia. Ihan mahtava 🤩
December 30, 2015
A wonderful book! Not literally to be exact, but for some reason I really liked this book. Even as I had to read it to complete one course in school, it didn't get in the way of my literary enjoyment. And it is about war, not the nicest thing to read about.
Anyway, the way it was written and all the different characters captured me in the story, in this strange way. Because no one is the protagonist, though there are a few main characters, you don't know what others are doing or who is still going to be alive in the next chapter. But for me it was just following all those people around, seeing how they act in certain situations, sometimes laughing at their conversations, thinking about the general concept of all that happened and what they had to experience, hearing what they thought about each other, and learning how they slowly got more depressed, weary and lost their motivation.
Those who were strong enough had a chance to survive better. But since some were downright crazy at times, especially near the end of the book, some didn't believe death was waiting behind the corner, some gave up, some were careless, some who tried to carry out a plan to save themselves had bad luck, and so on and so forth, they - as you can guess - died, and they were forgotten.
You'll stay in my memories: Koskela, Rahikainen, Hietanen, Lehto, Rokka, Määttä, Lahtinen, Jalovaara, Susi, Lammio, Viirilä, Vanhala, Riitaoja, Honkajoki, Kariluoto, Mäkilä, and others who contributed into the scenes.
Anyway, the way it was written and all the different characters captured me in the story, in this strange way. Because no one is the protagonist, though there are a few main characters, you don't know what others are doing or who is still going to be alive in the next chapter. But for me it was just following all those people around, seeing how they act in certain situations, sometimes laughing at their conversations, thinking about the general concept of all that happened and what they had to experience, hearing what they thought about each other, and learning how they slowly got more depressed, weary and lost their motivation.
Those who were strong enough had a chance to survive better. But since some were downright crazy at times, especially near the end of the book, some didn't believe death was waiting behind the corner, some gave up, some were careless, some who tried to carry out a plan to save themselves had bad luck, and so on and so forth, they - as you can guess - died, and they were forgotten.
You'll stay in my memories: Koskela, Rahikainen, Hietanen, Lehto, Rokka, Määttä, Lahtinen, Jalovaara, Susi, Lammio, Viirilä, Vanhala, Riitaoja, Honkajoki, Kariluoto, Mäkilä, and others who contributed into the scenes.
February 29, 2020
This book left me totally speechless. It sounds wrong to say I loved every page of it because war isn't something that is pretty or clear. But I loved this. I feel like I haven't ever read something so purely true or Finnish. And I could turn the book around and read it again right now.
December 2, 2017
4,5. Ei tosiaankaan ole klassikko syyttä. Vaikka alku on hidas ja hahmojen paljous pyörryttää, näistä asioista selvitään ja hahmoihinkin kiintyy vahvasti (ja sitten Linna tappaa kaikki lempihenkilöni). Saatoin viimeisiä sivuja lukiessani itkeä muutaman miehekkään kyyneleen.
February 20, 2022
The events of the novel cover Finland’s Continuation War, aka the Second Soviet-Finnish War, which erupted just a couple of years after the first one, the one more commonly known as the Winter War. Both conflicts occurred within the larger scope of WWII.
Now, I’m not at all familiar with Finnish history, so understanding this narrative properly took some research. There are endless thorough documentaries to be found on the internet. I have watched some of them and really enjoyed them—I just love deep-history dives.
Unknown Soldiers is hailed as Väinö Linna’s magnum opus, a classic of Finnish literature and one of the best war novels out there. I don’t doubt that in the least, as that’s the first thing I noticed—the author’s incredibly powerful, yet simultaneously accessible, down-to-earth prose. I rarely mention authors’ writing styles in my reviews and tend to focus on the plot and the characters much more.
Not this time though, not when Linna’s beautiful prose is literally the first thing I noticed. It shines through even in translation. By the time I was done reading the first chapter alone, I had already made a dozen annotations of certain sentences and paragraphs I found breathtaking. Pick any quote from this book to read and you’ll immediately be able to tell that Linna is a deeply insightful storyteller who understands the nature of the human psyche perfectly. And is able to convey it to the readers so vividly and effortlessly, to boot!
The narrative starts shortly before our… Regiment? Corps? Unit? Platoon? A bunch of guys in the military? Sorry, I’m not too familiar with army lingo. Anyways, shortly before they’re informed they’re to head out to meet the Russian enemy troops. You can feel palpable fear and excitement in the air as these very young men suddenly go from civilians to soldiers, at least on paper. Emotionally, however, very few of them are actually prepared to step into an active combat role. Save for a few exceptions, all they’ve known of army life so far boils down to playing cards with the guys and messing around in the camp. Their first contact with the enemy sees them freeze with terror and become unresponsive. It also costs them the life of their captain.
There is no one protagonist, but rather an ensemble cast of characters, a core group of guys Linna has us follow as they head out into danger and death. As for me, I singled out a protagonist for myself—Koskela, a taciturn, down-to-earth guy who previously fought in the Winter War and knows how great a toll armed conflict can take.
The background information on Finland’s history and its questionable role in WWII is certainly helpful to understanding the troop’s movements and the motives behind their superiors’ decisions, but is not crucial to reading this novel. While this is a fictional account of the Continuation War Linna imbued with his own experiences, it focuses much more on ordinary people thrust into an unimaginable situation than it does on the political situation. The characters we meet along the way as we watch how firsthand experience of the war’s brutality shapes them—that’s the core of this narrative.
Linna gives each man a thorough description. It takes just a few paragraphs for us to learn who he is, what he looks like, where he comes from and what his political leanings may be. Some hate this inhumane situation they’ve been forced into, while others take a sadistic sort of pleasure in killing. Some are Nazi sympathisers, while others subscribe to Russian communism. Some swallow Finland’s propaganda of a noble death in a fight for the homeland, whereas others are aware of the discrepancies between fact and fiction.
As I already mentioned, Koskela is my favourite character to follow. “Quiet Koski”, the men have nicknamed him for his reticence. He knows that war is pointless and stupid, but pushes aside his disgust so as to do his job. Despite all his efforts to desensitise himself in order to be more effective, brutality—especially needless brutality—invariably stirs feelings of revulsion in him. Never is this more apparent than when the men have a POW situation on their hands.
Which brings me to Lehto, a needlessly cruel bully who dehumanises not only the enemy Finland’s facing, but also his fellow men-at-arms. A cynic who ridicules every instance of fear or vulnerability, Lehto comes across as the last person you’d ever want wielding a weapon. Yet, he’s also strangely sympathetic at the same time.
Riitaoja wears his fear on his sleeve, is a stutterer and frequently becomes unresponsive when bullets start to fly. He’s a bit childish, not in a bratty way, but an endearing one. I guess childlike would be a more fitting word. He also seems completely out of place in this setting, as if he isn’t quite aware of what’s going on, nor why he’s here. Yet, he also comes across as a bit too pathetic and even useless in crucial situations.
Then there’s Kariluoto. He’s highly idealistic and believes in the songs of old about disciplined soldiers who never show fear, never complain about their circumstances and are so fiercely patriotic that they let basic human needs fall by the wayside in pursuit of something bigger than themselves. Kariluoto dreams of a career in the military and is constantly thinking of what’s proper and honourable, which is why he takes the time to write to families of the fallen men.
It bothers him that neither he nor his men live up to this fantasy standard of a perfect Finnish soldier. He believes they should demonstrate more awe and reverence for the situation they’re in but, instead of belting out patriotic songs, his men turn to bawdy ones about girls. Kariluoto’s naïve idealism gets challenged at every turn and, in the end… Well, we all know enough about both history and fiction to know what war does to idealistic men. His entire character arc is essentially about fall from innocence.
The universally hated Lieutenant Lammio, the crazy, but endearing Rokka, the short-fused, but humane Hietanen, the crafty, fickle boaster Rahikainen… We get to meet all of them and we get to find out exactly what it is that makes them tick. Linna’s characterisation is just that good.
Regardless of the decisions Finland’s leadership made, it’s clear those decisions have nothing to do with the men on the ground. These are just ordinary fellows, following orders, hoping their efforts will somehow benefit their country. There are no good guys or bad guys, no villains or heroes, just a bunch of ordinary humans.
I really like their interactions with Russian POWs. They perfectly demonstrate how ridiculous this whole idea of allies and enemies is. The guys fighting for the other side are not monsters with fangs for teeth, but nearly identical in all the respects that matter to the core cast of characters. Salo’s empathy in particular is so touching. Out of all the men, he is perhaps the one who realises the most that the other side is comprised of humans just like him.
Then there’re the battle scenes. My Gods… I suppose we all already know that war is hell, but Linna makes you feel that on a visceral level. The reading would speed up in my head during these tense moments, my pulse would rush, I wouldn’t even blink for minutes and I would clearly hear the rata-tata-tata in my head. It is nothing short of miraculous that Linna manages to transport the reader there, smack in the middle of some chaotic battle where you can’t tell left from right, nor friend from foe. Chilling stuff.
The death scenes are particularly well written. I won’t spoil anything, but this is a war novel, so multiple characters’ deaths are only to be expected. Linna delivers these scenes in such an unassuming, almost casually conversational manner, yet the prose, for all its simplicity, is so freaking potent. Linna had me sympathising even with characters I’m not particularly fond of.
Their deaths in these unforgiving circumstances all come in a gruesome fashion. Some die as unsung heroes—the titular unknown soldiers—others as cowards or tragically unfulfilled figures. The deaths that hit the hardest are of those characters who still naïvely long for salvation, even actively expect it. But then it doesn’t come. And those last few terrifying moments cement that realisation. And then they die, in agony and terror. And I wince every single time as if physical movement will somehow erase the grotesque scene from my mind.
On and on it goes like that, for years, as these young boys mature to men in the harshest of ways. By the end, it becomes evident to nearly all of them that this is a war they can’t win. The closing chapters focus on Finland’s retreat and it is during this stretch particularly that the fighting intensifies even more and the men start dropping like flies, one after another. Some of the deaths would leave me reeling for hours, grappling with the fact that this is possible, that death can take you regardless of how righteous, charming, endearing or beautifully complex you are.
Aaand I’m done reading. Final annotation count: 117. My Gods… That’s roughly one per every four pages. Yup, that sounds about right. That’s how brilliantly amazing Linna’s prose is.
Reading these sixteen chapters, despite everything, was a joy. They were filled with misery, death, hunger, cold, loss, even humour and the odd stretch of respite and joviality. The narrative in no way, shape or form glorifies war, nor does it portray soldiers as unrealistically virtuous, patriotic or brave. On the contrary—Linna demonstrates how mind-bogglingly dumb and pointless the entire thing is, even when fought for seemingly noble and justifiable causes.
Linna’s characters are all real—men who yearn for home, for normalcy, who rebel against rigid army standards and continually butt heads with inept superiors. Their camaraderie and the bonds they created amongst themselves were both my favourite and least favourite part of the novel. Favourite because this novel begins and ends in the army, with leaves and the home front mentioned in passing, but never really shown, so these bonds in a way truly were all these guys had to rely on.
Least favourite because it’s gut-wrenching watching these characters constantly having to say goodbye to their friends as they hold their hands and try to convince them their wounds aren’t really all that serious. Then the friend dies and the rest make jokes about it, pretending it didn’t really mean anything. Just another guy, just another statistic. But then, every once in a while, one of the guys would wander off to the nearby woods on his own to sing, cry or scream his lungs out.
I kind of wish there was an epilogue of sorts, one last chapter to tell the readers what became of the handful of survivors and how they dealt with the trauma in the aftermath of the armistice, once they could actually afford the luxury of processing the emotional toll war had taken on them. I cannot even imagine the mental stress caused by the weight of that constant strain, when you’re in a position in which you always have to stay on your guard, perpetually conscious of the very real possibility that the next breath you draw might be your last. Nor do I want to.
Now, I’m not at all familiar with Finnish history, so understanding this narrative properly took some research. There are endless thorough documentaries to be found on the internet. I have watched some of them and really enjoyed them—I just love deep-history dives.
Unknown Soldiers is hailed as Väinö Linna’s magnum opus, a classic of Finnish literature and one of the best war novels out there. I don’t doubt that in the least, as that’s the first thing I noticed—the author’s incredibly powerful, yet simultaneously accessible, down-to-earth prose. I rarely mention authors’ writing styles in my reviews and tend to focus on the plot and the characters much more.
Not this time though, not when Linna’s beautiful prose is literally the first thing I noticed. It shines through even in translation. By the time I was done reading the first chapter alone, I had already made a dozen annotations of certain sentences and paragraphs I found breathtaking. Pick any quote from this book to read and you’ll immediately be able to tell that Linna is a deeply insightful storyteller who understands the nature of the human psyche perfectly. And is able to convey it to the readers so vividly and effortlessly, to boot!
The narrative starts shortly before our… Regiment? Corps? Unit? Platoon? A bunch of guys in the military? Sorry, I’m not too familiar with army lingo. Anyways, shortly before they’re informed they’re to head out to meet the Russian enemy troops. You can feel palpable fear and excitement in the air as these very young men suddenly go from civilians to soldiers, at least on paper. Emotionally, however, very few of them are actually prepared to step into an active combat role. Save for a few exceptions, all they’ve known of army life so far boils down to playing cards with the guys and messing around in the camp. Their first contact with the enemy sees them freeze with terror and become unresponsive. It also costs them the life of their captain.
There is no one protagonist, but rather an ensemble cast of characters, a core group of guys Linna has us follow as they head out into danger and death. As for me, I singled out a protagonist for myself—Koskela, a taciturn, down-to-earth guy who previously fought in the Winter War and knows how great a toll armed conflict can take.
The background information on Finland’s history and its questionable role in WWII is certainly helpful to understanding the troop’s movements and the motives behind their superiors’ decisions, but is not crucial to reading this novel. While this is a fictional account of the Continuation War Linna imbued with his own experiences, it focuses much more on ordinary people thrust into an unimaginable situation than it does on the political situation. The characters we meet along the way as we watch how firsthand experience of the war’s brutality shapes them—that’s the core of this narrative.
Linna gives each man a thorough description. It takes just a few paragraphs for us to learn who he is, what he looks like, where he comes from and what his political leanings may be. Some hate this inhumane situation they’ve been forced into, while others take a sadistic sort of pleasure in killing. Some are Nazi sympathisers, while others subscribe to Russian communism. Some swallow Finland’s propaganda of a noble death in a fight for the homeland, whereas others are aware of the discrepancies between fact and fiction.
As I already mentioned, Koskela is my favourite character to follow. “Quiet Koski”, the men have nicknamed him for his reticence. He knows that war is pointless and stupid, but pushes aside his disgust so as to do his job. Despite all his efforts to desensitise himself in order to be more effective, brutality—especially needless brutality—invariably stirs feelings of revulsion in him. Never is this more apparent than when the men have a POW situation on their hands.
Which brings me to Lehto, a needlessly cruel bully who dehumanises not only the enemy Finland’s facing, but also his fellow men-at-arms. A cynic who ridicules every instance of fear or vulnerability, Lehto comes across as the last person you’d ever want wielding a weapon. Yet, he’s also strangely sympathetic at the same time.
Riitaoja wears his fear on his sleeve, is a stutterer and frequently becomes unresponsive when bullets start to fly. He’s a bit childish, not in a bratty way, but an endearing one. I guess childlike would be a more fitting word. He also seems completely out of place in this setting, as if he isn’t quite aware of what’s going on, nor why he’s here. Yet, he also comes across as a bit too pathetic and even useless in crucial situations.
Then there’s Kariluoto. He’s highly idealistic and believes in the songs of old about disciplined soldiers who never show fear, never complain about their circumstances and are so fiercely patriotic that they let basic human needs fall by the wayside in pursuit of something bigger than themselves. Kariluoto dreams of a career in the military and is constantly thinking of what’s proper and honourable, which is why he takes the time to write to families of the fallen men.
It bothers him that neither he nor his men live up to this fantasy standard of a perfect Finnish soldier. He believes they should demonstrate more awe and reverence for the situation they’re in but, instead of belting out patriotic songs, his men turn to bawdy ones about girls. Kariluoto’s naïve idealism gets challenged at every turn and, in the end… Well, we all know enough about both history and fiction to know what war does to idealistic men. His entire character arc is essentially about fall from innocence.
The universally hated Lieutenant Lammio, the crazy, but endearing Rokka, the short-fused, but humane Hietanen, the crafty, fickle boaster Rahikainen… We get to meet all of them and we get to find out exactly what it is that makes them tick. Linna’s characterisation is just that good.
Regardless of the decisions Finland’s leadership made, it’s clear those decisions have nothing to do with the men on the ground. These are just ordinary fellows, following orders, hoping their efforts will somehow benefit their country. There are no good guys or bad guys, no villains or heroes, just a bunch of ordinary humans.
I really like their interactions with Russian POWs. They perfectly demonstrate how ridiculous this whole idea of allies and enemies is. The guys fighting for the other side are not monsters with fangs for teeth, but nearly identical in all the respects that matter to the core cast of characters. Salo’s empathy in particular is so touching. Out of all the men, he is perhaps the one who realises the most that the other side is comprised of humans just like him.
Then there’re the battle scenes. My Gods… I suppose we all already know that war is hell, but Linna makes you feel that on a visceral level. The reading would speed up in my head during these tense moments, my pulse would rush, I wouldn’t even blink for minutes and I would clearly hear the rata-tata-tata in my head. It is nothing short of miraculous that Linna manages to transport the reader there, smack in the middle of some chaotic battle where you can’t tell left from right, nor friend from foe. Chilling stuff.
The death scenes are particularly well written. I won’t spoil anything, but this is a war novel, so multiple characters’ deaths are only to be expected. Linna delivers these scenes in such an unassuming, almost casually conversational manner, yet the prose, for all its simplicity, is so freaking potent. Linna had me sympathising even with characters I’m not particularly fond of.
Their deaths in these unforgiving circumstances all come in a gruesome fashion. Some die as unsung heroes—the titular unknown soldiers—others as cowards or tragically unfulfilled figures. The deaths that hit the hardest are of those characters who still naïvely long for salvation, even actively expect it. But then it doesn’t come. And those last few terrifying moments cement that realisation. And then they die, in agony and terror. And I wince every single time as if physical movement will somehow erase the grotesque scene from my mind.
On and on it goes like that, for years, as these young boys mature to men in the harshest of ways. By the end, it becomes evident to nearly all of them that this is a war they can’t win. The closing chapters focus on Finland’s retreat and it is during this stretch particularly that the fighting intensifies even more and the men start dropping like flies, one after another. Some of the deaths would leave me reeling for hours, grappling with the fact that this is possible, that death can take you regardless of how righteous, charming, endearing or beautifully complex you are.
Aaand I’m done reading. Final annotation count: 117. My Gods… That’s roughly one per every four pages. Yup, that sounds about right. That’s how brilliantly amazing Linna’s prose is.
Reading these sixteen chapters, despite everything, was a joy. They were filled with misery, death, hunger, cold, loss, even humour and the odd stretch of respite and joviality. The narrative in no way, shape or form glorifies war, nor does it portray soldiers as unrealistically virtuous, patriotic or brave. On the contrary—Linna demonstrates how mind-bogglingly dumb and pointless the entire thing is, even when fought for seemingly noble and justifiable causes.
Linna’s characters are all real—men who yearn for home, for normalcy, who rebel against rigid army standards and continually butt heads with inept superiors. Their camaraderie and the bonds they created amongst themselves were both my favourite and least favourite part of the novel. Favourite because this novel begins and ends in the army, with leaves and the home front mentioned in passing, but never really shown, so these bonds in a way truly were all these guys had to rely on.
Least favourite because it’s gut-wrenching watching these characters constantly having to say goodbye to their friends as they hold their hands and try to convince them their wounds aren’t really all that serious. Then the friend dies and the rest make jokes about it, pretending it didn’t really mean anything. Just another guy, just another statistic. But then, every once in a while, one of the guys would wander off to the nearby woods on his own to sing, cry or scream his lungs out.
I kind of wish there was an epilogue of sorts, one last chapter to tell the readers what became of the handful of survivors and how they dealt with the trauma in the aftermath of the armistice, once they could actually afford the luxury of processing the emotional toll war had taken on them. I cannot even imagine the mental stress caused by the weight of that constant strain, when you’re in a position in which you always have to stay on your guard, perpetually conscious of the very real possibility that the next breath you draw might be your last. Nor do I want to.
June 14, 2022
I made fun of a friend's book review, so I offered to write one so he could reciprocate. He guessed I’d be reviewing women's fiction (no clue what that is) and expected it to be oh-so-very-moving. Too bad, my friend, women are scarce in this novel, and the book doesn't do much moving either (it likes to sit right where I leave it). But the characters in it do, so I hope you won't be too disappointed.
Unknown Soldiers is a narrative-driven realistic portrayal of a group of soldiers' life at the warfront. It takes place during the Continuation War between Finland and the Soviet Union, shortly after the Winter War. It isn't concerned with the big powers at play, but with the little men, the most expendable of soldiers, some of them patriotic, some of them communists, most of them clueless, but all of them suffering from hunger, fear and sleep deprivation. The realism of this novel shines through in the psychological understanding of its characters, riddled with contradiction: bravery coexists with cowardice, brotherhood is tainted with pettiness, maturity marred by uncertainty. Incoherence and change make these men human.
Finns claim this novel to be untranslatable on the basis that each character speaks in a particular accent, making use of a specific lexicon, both informed by region and register. One must give credit to the translator: Yamaguchi interprets this novel as a statement against a unified Finnish language (and the erasure of regional characteristics by propaganda) and managed to somewhat preserve Linna's most remarkable characteristic of style. She outlines her options and their reasoning at the end of the book.
Whenever the novel leans closer to inhumanity, there is a persistent level-headedness even among the disillusioned men who have come to accept that they fight for nothing. To me, that prevailing optimism comes across as naïve, even a little incongruous. No wonder this novel is a crowd-pleaser, having been made and remade into film adaptations. That said, I don't think many other people will be charging this novel with too much optimism, and no doubt this criticism is derived from my own sensibility as a reader.
Were I to place it within the literary family, I'd put it in the vicinity of Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front, which to my memory is a more gruesome and thought-provoking read (even if less enjoyable). Also, I couldn't help but to be slightly reminded of high fantasy novels, where a group of common folks come together as family, on a journey with a common goal, only to face grisly deaths. Not surprisingly, as war fiction and high fantasy are both direct descendants of The Iliad.
All in all, a delightful book, comfortable to be around like a favourite uncle. There is some truth to it and the most tenuous bite.
Unknown Soldiers is a narrative-driven realistic portrayal of a group of soldiers' life at the warfront. It takes place during the Continuation War between Finland and the Soviet Union, shortly after the Winter War. It isn't concerned with the big powers at play, but with the little men, the most expendable of soldiers, some of them patriotic, some of them communists, most of them clueless, but all of them suffering from hunger, fear and sleep deprivation. The realism of this novel shines through in the psychological understanding of its characters, riddled with contradiction: bravery coexists with cowardice, brotherhood is tainted with pettiness, maturity marred by uncertainty. Incoherence and change make these men human.
Finns claim this novel to be untranslatable on the basis that each character speaks in a particular accent, making use of a specific lexicon, both informed by region and register. One must give credit to the translator: Yamaguchi interprets this novel as a statement against a unified Finnish language (and the erasure of regional characteristics by propaganda) and managed to somewhat preserve Linna's most remarkable characteristic of style. She outlines her options and their reasoning at the end of the book.
Whenever the novel leans closer to inhumanity, there is a persistent level-headedness even among the disillusioned men who have come to accept that they fight for nothing. To me, that prevailing optimism comes across as naïve, even a little incongruous. No wonder this novel is a crowd-pleaser, having been made and remade into film adaptations. That said, I don't think many other people will be charging this novel with too much optimism, and no doubt this criticism is derived from my own sensibility as a reader.
Were I to place it within the literary family, I'd put it in the vicinity of Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front, which to my memory is a more gruesome and thought-provoking read (even if less enjoyable). Also, I couldn't help but to be slightly reminded of high fantasy novels, where a group of common folks come together as family, on a journey with a common goal, only to face grisly deaths. Not surprisingly, as war fiction and high fantasy are both direct descendants of The Iliad.
All in all, a delightful book, comfortable to be around like a favourite uncle. There is some truth to it and the most tenuous bite.
May 5, 2025
An interesting novel about a Finnish troop of machine gunners in the Second World War. They argue, joke, swear, trade, question their leaders, threaten to desert and sometimes actually desert, do their own thing…. A gritty and unromantic depiction of battle. The troop members form bonds of brotherhood. There are some memorable characters like Rokka, an intelligent, brave, heroic, excellent fighter, but undisciplined.
This book was first published in Finnish in 1954.
This book was first published in Finnish in 1954.
October 13, 2023
Ljudbok från 2022. En dag ska jag läsa den ordentligt. En underbar ljudbok med Frank Skog och alla slags dialekter. Berörd in i ryggmärgen.
January 3, 2025
Suomalainen sotilas kaikessa välinpitämättömyydessään, kunnianhimossaan, rohkeudessaan, pelossaan, suuruudenhulluudessaan, julmuudessaan, viattomuudessaan, rakkaudessaan ja toveruudessaan.
Sota kaikessa mielettömyydessään ja kauheudessaan.
Ylen lukumaraton oli loistava.
Sota kaikessa mielettömyydessään ja kauheudessaan.
Ylen lukumaraton oli loistava.
February 7, 2023
VIHDOIN!! Hyvin kirjoitettu kaikkien sotilaiden tarina ja niitten persoonat..ei ees niin paha kirja mut vitutti ku oli nii kiire koko ajan 3,5 tähtee:)
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