Väinö Linna | |
|---|---|
 Väinö Linna atPalm Beach, Florida, on a trip to theUnited States, in March 1963. | |
| Born | (1920-12-20)20 December 1920 Urjala, Finland |
| Died | 21 April 1992(1992-04-21) (aged 71) Tampere, Finland |
| Occupation | Author |
| Nationality | Finnish |
| Notable works | The Unknown Soldier Under the North Star trilogy |
Väinö Linna (pronounced[ˈʋæi̯nøˈlinːɑ]ⓘ; 20 December 1920 – 21 April 1992) was a Finnish author and a former soldier who fought in theContinuation War (1941–44). Linna gained literary fame with his third novel,Tuntematon sotilas (The Unknown Soldier, published in 1954), and consolidated his position with the trilogyTäällä Pohjantähden alla (Under the North Star, published in 1959–1963 and translated into English by Richard Impola).[1] Both have been adapted to a film format on several occasions;The Unknown Soldier was firstadapted into a film in 1955 andUnder the North Star in 1968 asHere, Beneath the North Star, both directed byEdvin Laine.
Väinö Linna was born inUrjala in thePirkanmaa region. He was the seventh child of Viktor (Vihtori) Linna (1874–1928) and Johanna Maria (Maija) Linna (1888–1972). Linna's father, a butcher, died when Linna was only seven years old, thus Linna's mother had to support the entire family by working at a nearby manor. Despite his background, Linna's interest in literature began early on.[1] As a child, Linna loved adventure novels which he borrowed from the local library. The author's education was, however, limited to six years at a public school which he finished in the mid-1930s. After working as a lumberjack and a farm hand at the same manor where his mother had worked, Linna moved to Tampere in 1938. Typical of his generation, the adolescent author-to-be moved from the countryside to a developing city in search of industrial labour which he found at theFinlayson textile mills.[2]
In 1940, Linna was conscripted into the army. TheSecond World War had broken out, and for Linna's part it meant participation in theContinuation War (1941–44). He fought on the eastern front. In addition to being a squad-leader, he wrote notes and observations about his and his unit's experiences.[1] Already at this point Linna knew that writing would be his preferred occupation. However, failure to get the notes published led him to burn them. In spite of rejection, the idea of a novel, which would depict ordinary soldiers' views on war, would later lead him to writeThe Unknown Soldier.[citation needed]
After the war, Linna got married and started writing while working at the mills during the day. Throughout his time at Finlayson, Väinö Linna read avidly. Such authors asSchopenhauer,Dostoyevsky, andNietzsche gained Linna's respect.[3] Linna later said thatErich Maria Remarque'sAll Quiet on the Western Front had also had a great influence on him. However, Linna's first two novelsPäämäärä andMusta rakkaus sold poorly; he also wrote poetry but did not enjoy success with that either. Not until the release ofThe Unknown Soldier (1954) did he rise to fame. It is evident that at the time there was a distinct social need for a novel that would deal with the war and ordinary people's role in it. A decade after the peace treaty with theSoviet Union many Finns were ready to reminisce, some even in a critical manner.The Unknown Soldier satisfied that need completely, as its characters were unarguably more diverse, realistic yet heroic, than those of earlier Finnish war novels. The book soon became something of a best-seller, as it sold 175,000 copies in only six months – quite a lot for a Finnish novel in the 1950s.[citation needed]
Early on, the reception of the book was harsh. In Finland's biggest newspaper,Helsingin Sanomat, the critic Toini Havu argued in her review that Linna did not present his characters in a grand historical and ethical context, which she thought was crucial.[3] Alsomodernists treatedThe Unknown Soldier with contempt. At the timeTuomas Anhava referred toThe Unknown Soldier as a "boy's book" because of its action-packed storyline.[1] Acceptance by the general public was enough to counter the negative criticism in the end. The novel is now considered both a classic in Finnish literature and a part of the national legacy.
In the mid-1950s, he moved toHämeenkyrö and began to cultivate crops. In 1959, the first part ofUnder the North Star was released. The book was a success and other parts were to follow. The second part was published in 1960 and the final part in 1963. The third part of the novel was honoured with theNordic Council's Literature Prize.[4] In 1964, Linna sold the farm and moved back to Tampere. This time he did not return to Finlayson, as he now could dedicate his life entirely to literature due to the financial success his works had earned him.[3] He was given the honorary title ofacademician in 1980, despite the fact that he had no higher education.[citation needed]
In 1984, Väinö Linna had a stroke, which caused him to lose the ability to speak. Some time after that, he was diagnosed with cancer, which tired him out, leading to his death on 21 April 1992.[3]
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Linna's realism of his work has had a profound influence on Finnish social, political and cultural life. His novels have a place in Finland's literary canon, amongKalevala,Seven Brothers and other classics. Many quotations from his works are nowadays Finnish sayings. The opening line ofUnder the North Star, "In the beginning there were the swamp, the hoe – and Jussi", is recognized by most Finns as well asRokka's famous exclamation, "Where do you need a real good man, here you have one!", fromThe Unknown Soldier. Showcasing the value of his legacy, Linna was pictured on the 20markkabanknote which was in use from 1993 to the introduction of theEuro. In addition, both of his major works have been filmed multiple times.
In 1995, asquare of the same name was named after Väinö Linna inTampere.[5][6]
Quotations related toVäinö Linna at Wikiquote