Helsinki: A Literary Companion

by Hildi Hawkins, Soila Lehtonen

Helsinki is both small and large, young and old. Although founded as long ago as 1550, it did not begin its urban development until the 18th century, and burst into life as a city only after it was proclaimed capital of Finland in 1912. Helsinki: A Literary Companion charts the history and life of the world's most northerly metropolis -- a vibrant maritime city whose story, like its architecture, has always been far grander than its size suggests. The writings selected for this book range from the beginning of the 19th century to the present day. Richly illustrated with archive material from Helsinki City Museum, Helsinki: A Literary Companion is the first anthology of Helsinki literature to be published in English. It includes fiction, memoirs, poetry, letters and travel writing -- translated from Finnish, Swedish, German, French and Russian, and original texts in English.

255 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Hildi Hawkins is a freelance editor, writer and translator, and the London editor of Books from Finland. She has co-edited or co-written a wide variety of books, including Ireland: The Rough Guide (1996), Helsinki: A Literary Companion (Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura, 2001), Finland: A Cultural Encyclopedia (Finnish Literature Society Editions, 2000), and The Phantom Museum: And Henry Wellcome's collection of medical curiosities: Henry Wellcome's Medical Mysteries (Profile Book, 2003). She translated Jaan Kaplinski’s collection Through the Forest (The Harvill Press, 1996), much of which is included in his Selected Poems (Bloodaxe Books, 2011). She is also the editor of things, a journal of writings about objects, their pasts, presents and futures.

Reviews

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

i enjoyed a lot of the pieces, but it got too slow for me. i loved the letters by Engels, though!