Linna, Vaino

(1920-1992)

   A Finnish novelist, Linna was born into a working-class family and worked in a variety of jobs, finally settling in as a factory worker in the city of Tampere while educating himself at the local library. After serving in Finland s Continuation War of 1941-1944, he returned to his former employment and started writing on the side. His first novel, a poorly disguised autobiography with the title Paäaämaäaäraä (1947; The Goal), tells about a young man s struggles to became a writer. His second novel, Musta rakkaus (1948; Black Love), is set in the city of Tampere and shows that tragedy, including murder, often results from jealousy and other negative emotions. One of the book's merits is its vivid descriptions of Finnish life.

   Linna's finest novel is Tuntematon Sotilas (1954; tr. The Unknown Soldier, 1957), which was informed by his own wartime experiences. Telling the story of a platoon of machine-gunners during the Continuation War, Linna offers both a message of pacifism—war is ultimately futile and a wanton destruction of life and property—and a tribute to the courage and strength of the Finns who make up the platoon. They hail from all over the country, and by characterizing them through the use of their local dialects, Linna creates both a microcosm of Finland and many humorous situations. There is also a powerful and culturally influential anti-authoritarian tenor in the book—even to the point that an excessively rule-oriented person may be referred to as a "Lammio in contemporary Finnish—and an equally strong emphasis on the kind of solidarity that manifests itself as true and intelligent friendship on the battlefield, as opposed to the blind obedience of well-trained automata so highly prized by military strategists.

   Linna s other great literary work is the trilogy Taäaällaä pohjantaähden alla (1959-1962; tr. Under the North Star, 2001-2003), which tells about a Finnish farm family from the 1880s to the 1940s. Finland s major historical events during this period, such as the plight of tenant farmers around the turn of the century, the issue of socialism, and the civil war, are seen through the lens of a small group of people, the Koskela family. The trilogy became very popular, and Linna won the Nordic Literary Prize for its concluding volume in 1963. Linna published collections of essays and talks in 1967 and 1990.