Suomalainen lukupiiri discussion

This folder is meant for discussions and questions in English about Finnish books for people who don't know Finnish but are interested in Finnish literature and/or want to ask something from our Finnish group members, for example in preparation for the Worldcon 2017 in Helsinki.

The books don't necessarily have to be translated into English, either, we all know how rare those are, any language will do. Also books somehow related to Finland will do. The group will also take part in the Helmet 2017 challenge. You can find this year's challenge here: http://www.helmet.fi/en-US/Events_and...

Please, say a few words so we know that you have arrived. :-)

You can also start a discussion thread in this folder about a Finnish book or book related to Finland.

Moi kaikki! Hello everyone! I have been studying the Finnish language by myself for some time now and started reading the Lord of the Rings in Finnish some time ago. I must say that it's my first Finnish book and that I'll probably take some time reading it, but that's for the future to determine.
For now I'd just like to say hello and thank the creator for initiating this group for it is really hard to find anyone to talk about Finnish literature with...
Nähdään pian! See you soon! (Oh, and please correct me if I make any mistakes :D)

Welcome Literae! So you couldn't find anything more difficult for your first "Finnish" book? :D Though I suppose if you already know the story well it's easier to recognise words and learn new ones. I don't think we will be reading LOTR with the group any time soon but who knows.

Yeah, that was the reason I created this in the first place, first for Finns (or people who know Finnish well enough) to chat about books that are not that well known in the rest of the world and won't come up in other groups, and of course it's a bit different to use your native language as well. I then thought that I might as well offer a place for international readers for the same reason. I'm not really expecting this to become very popular, Finnish literature is such a niche category, but hopefully you will be joined by others. Just let me know if there is a certain book that you especially want to talk about, it doesn't have to be one of the group reads. And of course you are welcome to join the discussions in Finnish, too, if you feel up to it. I think most of us understand some English if necessary.

Kiitos paljon! :) I'll try and understand some of the Finnish discussions

Literae wrote: "Moi kaikki! Hello everyone! I have been studying the Finnish language by myself for some time now and started reading the Lord of the Rings in Finnish some time ago. I must say that it's my first F..."

Welcome to the group Literae!
I love Lord of the Rings, I have read it in English and in Finnish.
And it might be even easier read than some original Finnish books, since it´s a translations and there are probably not all kinds of Finnish expression.

Hei Kaikki!

I'm Laurance and i'm a chef living in Oulu coming on 5 years now. I'm still working on Finnish but have read a few books in Finnish but all have been for my son's age (3 years old) but hey, it's a start right?

I have a keen interest in Finnish history, especially military based, and so have aquired a few books, including dual language ones, on the subject.

Welcome :) Children's books are a good way to start. The next step could be reading a Finnish translation of one of your favourite books, so you know what is happening even if you don't understand every word. (That's what I did when I first started reading in English - I began with Harry Potters and Anne of Green Gables.)

In October one of the Books of the Month will be Seven Brothers (because of Aleksis Kivi's day) but it is also perfectly fine to read Seitsemän koiraveljestä (or The Seven Dog Brothers) which might be easier for foreigners. I would actually guess that even many Finnish members will choose to read that.

I love the Koiramäki books. They are so colourful and exciting.

Hello everyone! I've been interested in Finnish culture since a teenager. I've since read books by Sofi Oksanen and Arto Paasilinna. I'm excited to have found a Finnish literature group. Nice to meet you all!

Hello Véronique, welcome. If you want, you can start discussions in English about the books you have read/want to read, we have read some by Oksanen and Paasilinna in this group, as well.

Personally I am now taking a bit of a break from moderating because of a death in my family but I still read and comment sometimes.

Hello Tytti, I absolutely understand. Obviously, take the time that is needed. Once I finish my semester, I will start a discussion! Happy to meet you! :)

Hello everyone!

I've read four Finnish novels. Three from Paasilinna translated in French (Le Lièvre de Vantanen, La Douce Empoisonneuse, Prisonniers du paradis). And one from Oksanen (Baby Jane)

Here are my Finnish Literature TBR:

The Forest of the Hanged Foxes - Paasilinna
Le potager des malfaiteurs ayant échappé à la pendaison - Paasilinna
Goofy Guardian Angel - Paasilinna
Purge - Oksanen
True - Pulkkinen
Seven Brothers - Kivi
Juha - Aho
Troll: A Love Story - Sinisalo

Here are some novels about Finland or set in Finland that I would like to read:

Finland, Cultural Lone Wolf - Lewis
A Concise History of Finland - Kirby
The Summer Book - Jansson

Has anybody read any of these books or have any recommendations? Let me know! :)

Hi, I'm looking for good Finnish books, translated to English. Presently reading Evil Things by Katja Ivar. I love most genres. I'm fascinated with the Finnish language probably because I am a grandmother of Finnish grandchildren as my son married a Finn. I visit Turku twice a year.

Hello! There are topics for some translated Finnish books in this folder - those are all books we have read in this book club. There is also Väinö Linna's trilogy Under the North Star, The Uprising, and Reconciliation, which we read last year. It tells about the people in a Finnish village from about 1880 to 1950 and how all the historical events of the period (including two wars) affect their lives.

Welcome Lori, though I have to say that Katja Ivar seems to be Russian and, based on some of the reviews of that book, she doesn't seem to know anything about Finland, the Finnish society or Finnish women.

I mean, a village in Lapland cut off from the rest of the country because of winter? And arranged marriages and women being just housewives etc.? Maybe there were some arranged marriages among the nobility in the old times but Finnish women generally always chosen their own husbands, and the majority of women have always had to work, as well, in one way or another. Also I found the idea that people at the Soviet border would have been afraid of the USSR in 1952 quite exaggerated. People in "the West" might have been afraid because of the Cold War but Finns probably felt safer in 1952 than for over a decade or two, after all Finland had just fought two "hot" wars against the USSR... So I do recommend taking the descriptions of the "Finnish" way of life with a grain of salt.

Personally I (and many historians, as well) also disagree a bit with Linna's version of history in Under the North Star but it's still probably closer than Ivar writes about.

Tytti wrote: "Welcome Lori, though I have to say that Katja Ivar seems to be Russian and, based on some of the reviews of that book, she doesn't seem to know anything about Finland, the Finnish society or Finnis..."

Thanks for your comments. I'm listening to the audio version and the reader is destroying the whole idea of the story taking place in Finland. I would rather hear some Scandinavian person speaking. But I really thought I would enjoy the idea of women becoming detectives at a time when there was little equality. Hoping to find some other Finnish authors here.

Annamariah wrote: "Hello! There are topics for some translated Finnish books in this folder - those are all books we have read in this book club. There is also Väinö Linna's trilogy Under the North Star..."

Thanks for the list.