Normally, I send out an end-of-year “Sanoma Maukonen” as part of my Christmas mailing. The one edition for this year has already been sent and my intention is to use Christmas e-cards as much as possible.
One thing that I want English-speaking Maukonens to be aware of is the three volume set of Väinö Linna’s “Under the North Star.” From the jacket cover . . . “Part one of this historical work, which encompasses Finnish history from the 1880s to the 1950s . . . offers a comprehensive account of the social and economic realities reflected in the hopes, dreams and experiences [of a family] in south central Finland.”
The translator is Richard Impola and the trilogy is published by Aspasia Book located in Beaverton, Ontario, Canada. Check out www.amazon.ca and www.amazon.com for availability. I recommend the hardcover set for the slight additional cost. They may be books that you want to pass around or give to your children.
One jacket comment is “The most significant novel published in Finland in the 20th century!“
I will continue my reading of the trilogy.
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Wishing you and yours blessings at Christmas and fulfillment in the coming year!
Hyvää Joulua ja Onnellista Uutta Vuotta 2009!
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Wish you luck on your move. I also understand that Canada may have a change in government soon. I must admit that your politics are definitely more interesting than ours to the south. And as one blogger down here put it, “Even your coups are polite.”
Chris
Chris is right. Recent events in Canada were close to an overthrow of government. After a federal election on October 14, 2008 that returned the Conservative government with a greater number of seats (but still in minority), the three other parties (including a separatist party) formed a coalition to displace them.
Our Governor General (representative of the Queen), agreed to the request of Prime Minister Harper to prorogue Parliament (place it in political stasis) until the Conservatives introduced the new budget on January 27, 2009.
Since then, the head of one of the opposing coalition parties has been replaced (he was to become the new Prime Minister . . . shows how stable that coalition government would have been!) and there appears some hope that there will be a return to a normal level of bickering between political opponents.
With all the political manoeuvrings, public opinion weighed in on the side of retaining the current government and “get on with the work that we elected you to do.” We will have some peace through the Christmas and New Years holiday season.
During this difficult time of world economic turmoil, Canada is not doing so badly. None of our banks have required bailouts. Our housing market is a little flat but we are not experiencing large-scale mortgage failures. Jobs are being lost but mostly due to problems in the automotive industry and other sectors (e.g., forestry). Nonetheless, we are well off here in Canada.
Bret,
I’m happy that you have found the trilogy. It’s one of the best Finnish books that I have ever read! The role of Janne Kivivuori is very much based to my grandfather (Motjer’s side). My Grandpa was born in Urjala and ended to be a member of the Finnish Parliament for many years. He was a member of the first parliament but lost his civil rights because of being a Red, even without taking a gun to his hands. When he got the civil rights back, he was elected back into parliament and retired from there in the 1950s.
My mother told me that Mr. Linna interviewed him a lot when writing his trilogy. So, in a way it’s part of my family history. I hope that Mr. Linna’s other remarkable book, “The Unknown Soldier” has been translated to English. I can recommend it.