Finland: Cultural Lone Wolf [Paperback]

Richard D. Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2004

Finland, Cultural Lone Wolf is the story of an accomplished nation and her extraordinary people. By pursuing a Lone Wolf policy, Finland raised itself from a struggling, war-battered state to one of the most developed countries in the world over the course of only fifty years. The exponential rise of Nokia from tires and timbers to leading the world's telecommunication industry is indicative of the Finns and their business style. These remarkable people speak a language unique in its origins and have kept their cultural identity intact despite the influences of powerful neighbors, Sweden and Russia.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Lewis attributes Finnish achievements in the last century to the culture rather than to political or business prowess. -- Reference & Research Book News, February 2005

About the Author

RICHARD D. LEWIS was knighted in 1997 by President Ahtisaari of Finland for his services to the country spanning 50 years. He is chairman of Richard Lewis Communications, an international institute for cross-cultural and language training with offices in more than a dozen countries. Richard Lewis lectures and consults worldwide withclients that include Mercedes-Benz, Nokia, Rolls Royce, Volvo, Deutsche Bank and Unilever. Among his many books are When Cultures Collide and The Cultural Imperative.

Product Details

• Paperback: 243 pages
• Publisher: Nicholas Brealey Publishing (November 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193193018X
• ISBN-13: 978-1931930185
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #572,424 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > History > Europe > Luxembourg
  • #34 in Books > History > Europe > Finland
  • #67 in Books > History > Europe > Belgium

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finland Stands Apart from the Herd, July 18, 2005

By 

Dr. Mark W. Lusk (El Paso Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Finland: Cultural Lone Wolf (Paperback)

Finland is truly a unique place in so many ways and Mr. Lewis captures the spirit of the place with insight and skill. By nature, Finns are very modest people so it takes an outsider to toot their horn. Lewis is well suited to the job as he speaks Finnish (that is quite a job!) and has spent many years consulting there. The author rightly observes that Finland outranks all other advanced democratic nations on practically any important measure of development - literacy, economic competitiveness, equality (economic, social and gender), transparency, lack of corruption, low levels of crime, and high levels of technological innovation. He notes that while they do pay high taxes, they actually support these taxes because they ensure that everyone has high quality health care, education, and social support - no exceptions.

But apart from their success in forging a wealthy and egalitarian nation, the Finns stand out in many other ways. For one, they are not really all that Scandinavian. Their origins are obscure, but it is clear that their language and culture has roots outside of the Indo-European group. In some ways, like the Basques perhaps, they are a small and unique nationality with a world view that we should all admire. Among their virtues, Finns are extraordinarily honest, so much so that some see them as blunt. They can also be very taciturn. Indeed, the uninformed traveler to Finland may mistake their parsimonious use of spoken language as a sign of coldness or obtuseness. As Lewis points out, to the contrary, Finns are very intellectually inclined, but are deeply suspicious of wordy or flamboyant people. Also of interest, the author delves into why Finnish women have been so successful and have attained full equality in all spheres of life.

Even if you don't have the chance to visit Finland, this is a great book to read if you are interested in learning about a country that is getting it right!

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars trumpet tooting, September 9, 2005

By 

Masa - See all my reviews

This review is from: Finland: Cultural Lone Wolf (Paperback)

As a native Finn I was actually embarrassed reading the "trumpet tooting" by Lewis in this book, but that seems to prove his experience of the Finnish people, modest, shy but despite this desperately in seeking of recognition from others.

As a truly modest Finn I can not see why our nation would differ from any other, to better or worse. But Lewis makes several points I have to agree on, about the Finnish nature, especially common sense, separateness, etc. etc... and I've never thought of the Finnish language giving us an advance in way of thinking.. a very interesting point indeed.

Overall, a very interesting read, if you're interested in the mindset of this small-yet-big nation up north..

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honest, intelligent look at a great nation.., February 5, 2005

By 

martyk (Kansas) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Finland: Cultural Lone Wolf (Paperback)

Brilliant work on the enigmatic nation of Finland. Full of facts, humor, history, Mr. Lewis has done his homework. Outstanding..