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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Finnish novel set in northern Finland during WW2,
By
This review is from: Storm over the Land: A Novel About War (Paperback)
MYRSKY KOILLISMAASSA was published in 1993 in English under the title "Storm Over the Land". The novel depicts the life of Kauko Sammalsuo and his neighbors in a remote area of northeastern Finland during the years 1939-44. Päätalo's point of view is from that of the common soldiers and the families behind the battle fronts. Päätalo's Koillismaa series (and his Iijoki series) draw a meticulous picture of the world of farmers and lumber workers' in the northern regions of Finland as well as in their social and historical settings (all sorts of little details in fact - like how you dried your socks in the logging camps in winter and how did you tell whose were whose....). The novels are apparantly strongly based on Päätalo's own experiences and skillfully use dialect and humour to soften hss unembellished view of life.As the previous reviewer noted, a good look at Finland, not as strong as an actual novel. The translation may have been accurate (Impola is a good translator in English from Finnish, but it still comes across as a bit stilted). I enjoyed it, but it wasn't un-put-downable. The Koillismaa series, of which this book is a part, are: KOILLISMAA, 1960 - Our Daily Bread (transl. by Richard Impola, 1990) SELKOSEN KANSAA, 1962 - Before the Storm (transl. by Richard Impola, 2000) MYRSKY KOILLISMAASSA, 1963 - Storm over the Land (transl. by Richard Impola, 1993) MYRSKYN JÄLKEEN, 1965 - After the Storm (transl. by Richard Impola, 1992) MUSTAN LUMEN TALVI, 1969 - The Winter of the Black Snow (transl. by Richard Impola, 2002) A bit about the author: Kalle Päätalo was born in 1919 in Taivalkoski in the small village of Jokijärvi. His father, Lauri Herman Päätalo, called Herkko, was a lumberjack, hard working, stingy, temperamental - a man who suffered from mental problems. In 1913 he married Priitta-Stiina (Neulikko) Päätalo, called Riitu, who was seven years younger. Kalle admired and feared his father who prided himself on doing his work better that anybody in the region, but who also mastered an ingeniously colorful language which he used to humiliate his family. The family lived in other people's rooms before Herkko managed to save enough money to build a humble house on the shore of the river Jokijärvi. It was to become the center of Kalle's life, his novels and later a tourist attraction. Kalle's childhood was poor and full of hard labour, but already at the early age he dreamed to be writer. He knew the letters and could writer his name before entering the elementary school. Päätalo read widely, lending books from the school library and the public library which was situated in the centre of the county, 20 kilometers from his home. Among his favorite books were Robinson Crusoe, Robin Hood, Jäämeren sankari by Kaarlo Hänninen and Runeberg's epic poem Vänrikki Stoolin tarinat. As a student Päätalo was above average, better than he admits in his Iijoki series, although he was jailed for a short time for playing cards. From 1933 to 1939 Päätalo was a forest worker, but managed to find time even in those hard conditions for creative writing. He read Mika Waltari's guide for an aspiring writer, Aiotko kirjailijaksi (1935) a number of times. Päätalo finally met the older writer in 1975. Waltari was deeply moved when Päätalo showed him his well-worn copy of the book. During The Winter War (1939-40) and the Continuation War (1939-1944) Päätalo served in the Finnish Army, and was wounded while at the front. These years he later described in the novels UKKOSEN ÄÄNI (1979) and TUULESSA JA TUISKUSSA (1981). Päätalo's viewpoint to the war arises from his individual experiences, and just as Väinö Linna did in The Unknown Soldier (1954), he concentrated on the ordinary soldiers. After the war Päätalo married and moved to Tampere where he studied at the technical school and become a building construction supervisor in 1949. His short stories started to appear in the magazines Pohjolan Jätkä, Sirpale, Nyyrikki, and Perjantai. In 1951-52 Päätalo worked in Taivalkoski. After his first marriage ended in divorce he married Elli Helena (Janakka) Päätalo in 1955; they had two daughters. Päätalo's childhood's dream came finally true at the age of 39 when his first novel IHMISIÄ TELINEILLÄ was published. From the 1960s Päätalo devoted himself entirely to writing. KOILLISMAA (1960, Our Daily Bread), a story about the struggle to survive during the Great Depression in Finland, was translated into English by Richard Impola in 1990 and MYRSKY KOILLISMAASSA in 1993 under the title Storm Over the Land. In his own life and his literary works Päätalo emphasized the value of honesty and hard work. He served as a model of unyielding struggle against drawbacks of life. Although Päätalo has been readers' favorite, the critics have been more reserved. However, in the 1980s and 1990s the author won his decades long war of attrition with the culture establishmed. Among the several awards and homages Päätalo eventually received was Väinö Linna Literature Award (1999). Taivalkoski county with Kalle Päätalo Association and the Päätalo Institute have arranged yearly in July Päätalo festivals - the author himself participated at the events from morning to night. Päätalo died at the age of 81 in Tampere, on November 20, 2000. He had suffered from the 1990s from pulmonary cancer, probably caused by asbestos which was widely used at construction sites in the 1950s. For anyone interested, there are also a small number of Finnish films based on Päätalo's works: "Viimeinen savotta" (1977), dir. by Edvin Laine, starring Jyrki Kovaleff, Olavi Ahonen, Leni Katajakoski, Torsti Kovaleff; R "Ruskan jälkeen" (1979), dir. by Edvin Laine, starring Kauko Helovirta, Elsa Turakainen, Jorma Falck, Sirkka Muurikoski; "Elämän vonkamies" (Life's Hardy Men, 1986), dir. Mikko Niskanen; "Nuoruuteni savotat" (Lumbercamp Tales, 1988), dir. Mikko Niskanen
4 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good as History - A bit disappointing as a novel!,
This review is from: Storm over the Land: A Novel About War (Paperback)
Storm Over the Land will appeal primarily to readers with an interest in the history of Finland during WWII. It seems historically quite accurate and probably gives a realistic account of what it felt like to be one of the common people in rural Northern Finland during the three wars that the Finns had to fight between 1939 and 1945. Many Finns tend to gloss over their country's collaboration with Nazi Germany in the fight against the Soviet Union (a collaboration that is understandable following the Winter War), but Paatalo addresses the issue without apology. Following their defeat in the Winter War, the Finns were happy to have help from their 'Guarantors.' As soon as their peace with the Soviets at the end of the Continuation War obliged them to drive the Germans from Finland, the Finns' sympathy for the Germans evaporated quickly. While Paatalo succeeds in portraying the terrible suffering endured by the Finns, I don't think that he does a very good job of creating well-rounded and sympathetic characters. If the author's intent was to use a fictional context to tell the story of the Finnish people in World War II, then he succeeded. If his intent was to use WWII Finland as a setting in which to reveal truths about the human condition, then he failed. Nonetheless, Storm Over the Land is an interesting historical account of Finland in the Second World War.
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