Finnish poetry has three traditions: an oral tradition which dates back to the Iron Age, and the written traditions in both Finnish and Swedish. Keith Bosley (made a Knight, First Class, of the Order of the White Rose of Finland for his services to Finnish literature) is the only English translator to work in all three areas.
His selections for this collection are wide, including not only key texts, but also many poems that Finns have taken to their hearts. Hymns and verse from three hundred years ago are represented as are the twentieth century voices of Edith Sodergran, Bo Carpelan, and Gosta Agren, among many others. The book includes a foreword for the general reader as well as extensive notes for the serious student.
