Alhaisolauluja

Kössi KaatraProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.9

Word count: 76K words
Chapters: 8

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Alhaisolauluja by Kössi KaatraAuthor: Kaatra, Kössi, 1882-1928,Language: Finnish, Class: PH: Language and Literatures: Finno-Ugrian and Basque languages and literatures, Release Date: Apr 30, 2016

Editor's review

Alhaisolauluja is a poetry collection by the Finnish writer Kössi Kaatra; the title may be understood as "songs of the lowlands," verses directed at the lives of the poor and common people. Kaatra was active in early twentieth-century Finnish workers' literature and poetry, and his writing often carries a distinct social concern and a colloquial tendency. The value of this collection lies not in polished, classical meter but in its plain and direct voice recording the circumstances and emotions of ordinary people, with the cries and lyricism of its era existing side by side. For readers studying the tradition of workers' poetry in Finnish literature, it is a concrete text for understanding that strand; for general readers, it offers a voice different from classical lyric poetry—rough and plain, yet with its own power to move. Note that the book is in the original Finnish and demands a good deal of the reader; a basic knowledge of Finnish or the use of translations and research materials is recommended, and it is best understood against the background of social change in early twentieth-century Finland.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with Finnish reading ability who wish to encounter Finnish poetry
Students studying Finnish workers' literature and writing from below
Readers interested in early twentieth-century Nordic social poetry
Readers who enjoy a plain, forceful poetry style close to everyday life

Not a good fit for

General readers with no knowledge of Finnish who hope for easy reading
Poetry lovers who prefer classical meter and finely wrought artistry
Beginning learners who need modern translation and detailed background commentary

Reading tips

First learn about early twentieth-century Finnish society and the workers' movement to grasp the collection's social expression more clearly
Read the short poems one by one and slowly, noting the colloquial diction and rhythm rather than applying classical standards
If your Finnish is limited, work through the lines with a reliable translation or a dictionary to avoid taking words at face value
After reading, group the poems by theme and compare the distribution and effect of the lyrical and declarative tones

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What language is this book in? What background do I need?

The book is in the original Finnish and is a public-domain ebook. Reading it requires some Finnish ability—at least enough to understand basic lines with a dictionary. If you have no Finnish at all, it is best to find a translation or related research materials first, then return to the original for comparison.

What are Kaatra's poems mainly about?

Judging from his background in workers' literature and the collection's title, Kaatra's poems mostly concern the circumstances of the poor and common people, in a plain voice with social concern. They should be read in light of social change in early twentieth-century Finland, and their colloquial expression should not be judged by purely aesthetic standards.

What should I keep in mind when reading a public-domain ebook?

The text provided by Project Gutenberg is usually plain text, convenient for searching but generally without modern notes or an introduction. When reading Finnish poetry, it is advisable to have a dictionary and background materials at hand, and to note that the edition's layout may affect the presentation of line breaks and rhythm.

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About the author

Kössi Kaatra Author · Finnish · 1882–1928

Kössi Kaatra (1882–1928), born Gustaf Adolf Lindström, was a Finnish working-class poet, journalist and theatre director, and a representative figure of early Finnish labour literature. Writing in Finnish, he produced poems and songs drawn largely from the workers' movement, strikes and class struggle, in a plain and rousing style; his long poem Red and White: A Chronicle of the Finnish Civil War treats the civil war from a class perspective, while workers' songs such as Songs of the Great Strike were widely sung. During the general strike of 1905 he read the "Red Declaration" from the balcony of Tampere City Hall. After the civil war's defeat he fled to Sweden and died in Huddinge. Nine of his works are held here; public information is limited, but his writing is clearly bound up with the Finnish labour movement.