The Finnish Literature Day

Some persistent roses still blooming in our garden.

Today we have celebrated The Finnish Literature Day and Finland’s national writer Aleksis Kivi (born on 10 October 1834).

Aleksis Kivi's contribution to the literary history in Finland is highly substantial. Kivi's most famous work is his novel Seven Brothers which was the first significant novel in the Finnish language. The novel created a foundation for a new written style in the field of Finnish literature. When the novel was first published in 1870, it received harsh criticism from its readers. Seven brothers has been translated into over 20 languages.

The novel is a tale about the seven sons of a farmer who neglect their farm and come into conflict with the local village community and its leaders. The brothers leave the village and their farmhouse and go to live in the great forests, at the mercy of nature but free from any social constraints. In all literary histories the novel is interpreted as an edifying story of the development of the brothers. They have brutal fights with the men of a neighboring village as well as with each other; they are prone to sudden fits of murderous anger, and they spend their days playing or hunting and disdaining their duties toward the community. Finally, after several disasters, they abandon their way of life to become law-abiding citizens.

Almost all Finns have read Sever Brothers and in fact I'm currently reading it again since we have been invited to Seven Brothers theme event in two weeks. I need to be prepared for the quiz!