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Words of Wisdom and Magic from the Kalevala

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Words of Wisdom and Magic from the Kalevala is a selection of poetry from the Kalevala, the oral poetry of the Finns written down and shaped by Elias Lönnrot into what became Finland's national epic. The samplings in this book, chosen by translator Richard Impola for their intrinsic value as well as power of expression, cultural content or folk wisdom, bring the reader meanings relevant for today and the twenty-first century.

A "Selective Glossary" and a "Guide to Reading the Kalevala," based on Elias Lönnrot's prefatory summaries to each runo, are appended to the book to give the reader a frame of reference for following the larger, complete work.

On retirement from college teaching, Richard Impola embarked on a new career as a translator of Finnish literature. He has edited or translated at least a half-dozen books. Two of his translated novels, Seven Brothers and Storm Over the Land, have been adopted for use in a number of college and university classes. Another, Hand in Hand, has been re-translated from the English into Norwegian and Danish. His translations of poetry and short stories have appeared in numerous publications. In 1993, he was awarded the American-Scandinavian Foundation's Inger Sjöberg Prize for translation.

Especially fine original line art by Diane Heusinkveld enhances the presentation of this work. Printed in the colors blue and green on heavy quality paper, pages are worthy of framing.

The Kalevala is an epic Finnish poem that opens with the story of creation and closes with the creation of Jesus. It describes many mythical figures as well as humans caught up in typical situations of drama. The Kalevala is credited with being a primary factor in the establishment of a Finnish national identity.
This book contains snippets from the Kalevala, and while they give you some idea of the content, the lack of context leaves a lack of understanding. Epic poems by definition build on situations that are derived from previous events. Therefore, when you read a simple one or two line segment, the lack of context means that it is difficult to impossible to completely understand it.
Given the wide range of topics of the snippets that appear in this book, you develop some understanding of the breadth of the Kalevala. However, it is not possible to learn anything about the depth as that can only come from a reading of the complete poem.