With Pen and Rifle: From the Time of Our Guerrilla Struggle for Independence and Freedom

Railo, Eino, 1884-1948Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.8

Word count: 341K words
Chapters: 35

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.Kynällä ja kiväärillä: "Sissin" itsenäisyys- ja vapaustaistelumme ajalta by RailoAuthor: Railo, Eino, 1884-1948,Language: Finnish, Class: DK: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Russia, Former Soviet Republics, Poland, Release Date: Jul 18, 2018

Editor's review

This is a Finnish-language historical narrative centered on the experiences of a "guerrilla fighter" during Finland's struggle for independence and liberation. The author, Railo, sets pen and rifle side by side from a participant's perspective, offering both battlefield observations and a portrait of the era's atmosphere. For readers interested in modern Nordic history and Finland's path to independence, it provides a first-hand voice from original Finnish-language sources that can be read alongside general histories for a fuller picture. As a public-domain ebook from Project Gutenberg, it is easily accessible and suits thematic study or as supplementary source material. Note that the book carries pronounced period stances and national narrative coloring; readers should maintain source-critical awareness and consult other research to assess its tendencies. Overall it is not a systematic textbook but a historical text with a memoir-like quality, suited to careful reading and note-taking in a quiet setting.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers studying Finnish independence and modern Nordic history
Language and history learners needing original Finnish sources
Military history enthusiasts interested in guerrilla warfare and national liberation narratives
Avid readers looking to broaden their public-domain ebook reading

Not a good fit for

General readers with no Finnish and no translation support
Readers expecting a systematic general history or scholarly monograph
Readers who prefer light fiction and do not want to assess source stances

Reading tips

Read a brief history of the Finnish independence movement first to establish a timeline before entering the narrative.
Mark passages with clear authorial stance while reading and compare them with neutral scholarship.
Use maps and chronologies to sort out the regions and battles mentioned.
If Finnish is difficult, read chapter by chapter with a dictionary, focusing on events and figures.

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

Is this a novel or a historical account?

Judging by the title and the author's background, it is a historical narrative set against Finland's independence and liberation struggle, with memoir and documentary qualities rather than fiction. It is best read as a source text with period stances, assessed alongside other research.

Can I read it without knowing Finnish?

The book is written in Finnish, and reading it directly without Finnish is very difficult. Use dictionaries, translation tools, or related English or Chinese research for support; for source reference, focus on chapters dealing with events and place names.

Is it suitable as an introduction to Finnish history?

Not as a first choice. It is a thematic, strongly positioned historical narrative without a systematic framework. Read a general history of Finland or a short history of the independence movement first, then use this book as supplementary material to better grasp its value and limits.

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About the author

Railo, Eino, 1884-1948 Author

Eino Railo (1884–1948) was a Finnish author whose life and education are poorly documented in publicly available sources. Five of his works are held in this collection, spanning fiction, regional narrative and historical subjects. Vorna and Soljalan emäntä focus on characters and rural life; Kynällä ja kiväärillä: Sissin itsenäisyys- ja vapaustaistelumme ajalta is set against Finland's independence and freedom wars and has a documentary air; Pyhiinvaeltaja: Kuvitelmia Karjalasta turns to the landscapes and imaginative traditions of Karelia; and Ontrein tarinoita presents a cycle of stories. His writing often draws on Finnish rural life, border regions and national historical memory, with plain narrative and attention to local experience amid times of upheaval.