A Short History of Finland

by Jonathan Clements

A fascinating history of Finland from prehistoric times to the twenty-first century.
 
The modern nation of Finland is the heir to centuries of history, as a wilderness at the edge of early Europe, a borderland of the Swedish empire, and a Grand Duchy of tsarist Russia. And, as Jonathan Clements’s vivid, concise volume shows, it is a tale paved with oddities and excitements from prehistoric reindeer herders to medieval barons, Christian martyrs to Viking queens, and, in the twentieth century, the war heroes who held off the Soviet Union against impossible odds.
 
Offering accounts of public artworks, literary giants, legends, folktales, and famous figures, Clements provides an indispensable portrait of this fascinating nation.
 
This updated edition includes expanded coverage on the Second World War, as well as new sections on Finns in America and Russia, the centenary of the republic, and Finland’s battle with COVID-19, right up to its historic application to join NATO.

 

Genres: History, Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

Published February 2, 2023

About the author

Jonathan Clements is an author, translator, biographer and scriptwriter. His non-fiction works include biographies of Confucius, Marco Polo, Mao Zedong, Koxinga and Qin Shihuangdi. He also writes for NEO magazine and is the co-author of encyclopedias of anime and Japanese television dramas.

Reviews

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concise and engagingly written history of the author's and my adopted home. On the whole an enjoyable read, though perhaps fewer (and less lengthy) song and poetry excerpts would have sufficed... and Mr Clements and I are clearly of different minds about the relative merit of lonkero.

[Mandi Fast · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5, I quit enjoyed! I knew a bit about Finnish history prior to reading, but this “simplified” version of key points from history was still really interesting (I especially love hearing about everything before the 1900s). I’m excited to learn more! Woo!!

[Neil Fox · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jonathan Clements condenses his adopted homeland of Finland’s history into a readable and entertaining if not somewhat superficial account in this, his Short History of Finland. From the Middle Ages and Vikings to centuries’ of existence as the eastern outpost of Sweden’s empire to the Russian century, he goes on to chart the nationalist revival and the birth of a nation in the early 20th century, and of course the heroic struggle of the winter war and the tightrope of the Cold War right through to the present day with Finland’s Covid-19 experience and ascension to NATO.

His account is dotted with quirky and eyebrow raising facts, references to the historical origins of expressions and words in the language as well as the linguistic historical origins of place names and expressions.

This is a celebration also of Finnish culture, art and design, with a concluding section on society, education , architecture, music, poetry, culinary traditions, that ponders the questions of national identity and what it means to be Finnish. Some of this however begins to border on caricature and stereotyping.

The problem is Clements veers off from being a ‘brief history of ‘ to ambitiously attempting to be a wide scoping profile of Finnish society and culture, attempting to frame and define the national character. The result is a work that is spread too thin and lacking in any depth and scope. Towering figures of Finnish history such as Mannerheim and Kekkonen barely warrant a paragraph while he inexplicably quotes reams of lines from uninteresting and boring poems. Finland’s Eurovision success in 2006 is afforded more coverage than the epic winter war. There is not a mention of most of the nation’s 20th century presidents, and cultural icons like Tove Jansson are not noted at all. What we have is a work that is wide in scope but narrow in detail, a convenient handbook on this Nordic nation for anyone thinking of living, studying or working there, or then just a tourist guide for the casual visitor.

[Mark Frangia · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is little mention of prehistory in Finland in this book but every other topic is covered with sufficient depth and humor. The fact that the author is married and actually resides in the country adds an insider's take and perception to what may be understood as national quirks. Having recently visited the country myself, and having bought this book while in Tampere, I was very eager to read more about this often forgotten yet fascinating country. The author does his topic justice. He provides the skeletal bones of recent history to shape what is now a free, democratic, and egalitarian society on the fringes of northern Europe after centuries under the foreign yoke. It also gives the reader cause to consider Finland's application for NATO membership; a vital move in view of Russian aggression in the Ukraine and its bloody history on Finnish soil.

Mark di Frangia, author

[Terry Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

My father’s parents were immigrants from Finland so this subject is right up my alley. The title of the book reflects its contents—a history of the nation—but the book is a little thin on the Finnish people. For example, the Sami people get a page or two here and there, and there’s not much discussion of how the Swedish speakers and Finnish speakers were integrated up to a point, and where that language separation was and still may be found. Finland doesn’t have a long history, so in reality, there’s not much to discuss, and the title, A Short History of Finland, is thus accurate.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lively and thoroughly enjoyable sojourn through Finland's history and culture. Clements, an immigrant to Finland, writes with the eye of an outsider, sometimes in awe and appreciative of what the gritty Finns have accomplished in their northern outpost, and sometimes with a raised eyebrow, trying to make sense of some odd tradition or dinner delicacy. It's hard not to admire these people, and after reading Clements' witty account, you'll find yourself liking them as well. I put this near the top of the list of the many books I've read about Finland.

[Darcy Gabe · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up.

I enjoyed it, but parts of it are a little hard to read. Sometimes it felt like long quotes of poetry and songs are included just to make it longer. But overall it’s really good short history!

I wish there were some more about the time between 1949 and 1995, such as the finish recession.

Great round up of what to read next at the end!

Some funny moments in the book, too! I really appreciated the humor.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Après être allée en Finlande 2 fois, je me suis enfin lancée pour découvrir l'histoire de la Finlande.
Très bon livre pour s'ouvrir à leur histoire. J'aurais aimé que le livre développe plus le point de vue des Saami. Je trouve très intéressant que l'auteur ait inclus une partie sur des recommandations de lecture pour approfondir certains sujets.

[Rosalind · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lively and very enjoyable - it filled a big gap in my knowledge of Scandinavia, and the history of the Finns in and just after WWII is amazing. The book set me off looking at Finnish sites to read more about the country.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really insightful and well written jaunt through Finland and its cold and complicated history. Jonathan Clements does an excellent job of making the content engaging thanks to his dry wit and unique perspective of an outsider yet of someone who has built a life in Finland.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic and easy read, really good book to provide you with a crash course on finish history.

[Chanel Baron · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well written short history on Finland! Concise, entertaining, I liked the cheeky English narrator :)

[Mo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining and informative, a wonderful introduction to Finland

[Jim Blessing · Rating 2 out of 5]

My girlfriend picked up this book when we traveled to Finland this year. I love the country, but the short history is not overly interesting.

[Georgie Wardall · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Kalevala also influenced foreign writers. Hiawatha lifts much of the meter from its German edition, while the young J R R Tolkien was deeply moved not only by its stories, but by the idea that they had been reconstructed from the relics of a pre-Christian past. In his twenties, he attempted to write his own version of the Kalevala's story of Kullervo, although his take on the legend was shamelessly Anglo-Saxon in its meter and tone. Years later, he would hammer together his own sued-mythology, positing an epic quest of demi-gods and heroes to forge and retain mythic magic jewels called silmarils (Finnish: silmä means eye). Tolkien created a language for his elves, Query, derived from Finnish itself. His love affair with the Kalevala, first mentioned in a letter to his fiancée as early as 1914, would eventually evolve into The Lord of the Rings.

So the Finnish national epic poem, The Kalevala, written in the 19th century from pieced-together Finnish folklore found by the poet in the remotest Finnish settlements, brought us The Lord of the Rings (along with Beowulf). The Kalevala itself is monumental in the history of Finland, sparking a cultural revolution out of which the idea of Finnish national identity was born. A Short History of Finland is full of exciting little bits like this. Favourite facts:

- Finland has the most death metal bands per capita of any country in the world.

- During the Second World War, as the Finnish soldiers swept the Germans out of Finland, most of the homes in Lapland were burnt down. To this day it's a tradition for Finns to shake matchboxes at German tourists in Lapland.

- Finnish has more than 30 words for snow.

- During Stalin's invasion of Finland, Finns would try to take out Soviet tanks with a single pistol, aiming at the tiny eye slits. [Warning: next bit may be triggering for some:] The Finns would also sneak into the tents of Russian soldiers at night as they slept two to a sleeping bag, and slit the throat of only one per bag, meaning the other would wake up next to a cold corpse and soaked in blood.

- The Scottish industrialist, James Finlayson, was taken to Finland to appreciate its beauty; what he appreciated was its potential for a cotton mill, which he set up in Tampere in the 19th century. The six-storey mill was the first electrically-lit mill in the country and was hugely successful in producing and exporting cotton, and lead to Tampere being nicknamed 'the Manchester of Finland'.

- The Kalevala inspired generations of Finns to express their Finnishness in art. The most emblematic of these was Eetu Isto's 'Hyökkäys', The Attack, a visual depiction of Russia's attack on Finland's political and legislative autonomy. Reproductions of The Attack were distributed as anti-Russian propaganda, and when police came to Eetu Isto's hideout, Isto was forced to grab his 2m-tall painting and flee out the window with it to the docks.

A Short History of Finland has really broadened my reading horizons. I didn't realise historical non-fiction could be so engaging, or so readable - I thought it always had to be quite heavy, and a slog, which takes discipline to get through. I want Jonathan Clements to write a short history of every country ever.

[Adam Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick and lovely read about Finland’s history! It’s history felt inviting and worthwhile. I learned a great deal including about the Finnish Civil War which I never knew existed.

I wish the work had been more thorough regarding Sámi people and about Finland’s modern and contemporary relationships to countries beyond Russia and Sweden.