The Shoemakers

Aleksis KiviProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.6

Word count: 178K words
Chapters: 18

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.La Botistoj by Aleksis KiviAuthor: Kivi, Aleksis, 1834-1872,Language: Esperanto, Class: PH: Language and Literatures: Finno-Ugrian and Basque languages and literatures, Release Date: May 25, 2009

Editor's review

This is the Esperanto translation of The Cobblers, a representative play by Finnish author Aleksis Kivi, released free as an eBook by Project Gutenberg. Kivi is an important realist writer in Finnish literary history; this play takes rural artisans' lives as its subject and, through marriage and career choices, presents ordinary people's self-respect and growth in plain language rich in folk humor. The Esperanto translation gives readers a unique entry point to Nordic drama through an international auxiliary language and can also serve as literary reading for Esperanto learners. It is best read within the context of Finnish realist drama, with attention to the rustic flavor in the dialogue and the characterization. It suits readers interested in Nordic literature, literature in minority languages, or Esperanto, who can read act by act and trace the plot through the characters' relationships.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Intermediate learners of Esperanto who wish to consolidate their reading through literary works
Readers interested in Finnish literature and Nordic realist drama
Enthusiasts of translation into minority languages and of Project Gutenberg's eBook resources
General readers who want to learn about rural artisans through a short play

Not a good fit for

Readers with no Esperanto who wish to read a Chinese translation directly
Readers expecting novel-like plots and complex narrative structures
Researchers who need scholarly annotations and detailed background verification

Reading tips

First read the list of characters, clarify the relationships among the cobbler and related figures, then proceed act by act.
After each act, summarize the conflict briefly in Esperanto or Chinese to check comprehension and build vocabulary.
Read against the background of Finnish literary realism, noting how the themes of career and marriage intertwine.
Read dialogue passages aloud to appreciate the rhythm and humor of Kivi's folk language.

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 version is this book?

This is the Esperanto translation of Kivi's play The Cobblers, released by Project Gutenberg as a free eBook; the language is marked as Esperanto, not Chinese or the original Finnish.

Can I read it without any knowledge of Esperanto?

It is hard to read directly. Esperanto grammar is highly regular, but basic vocabulary and word-formation knowledge are still needed. Complete beginners can take an introductory course first or read with a bilingual text and dictionary.

Do I need to know the Finnish background to read it?

Some familiarity with the Finnish realist literary context in which Kivi wrote is helpful, but the play's main thread is character relationships and everyday conflict; general readers can follow the plot by grasping the characters' motives and dialogue.

Comments

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About the author

Aleksis Kivi Author · Finnish · 1834–1872

Aleksis Kivi (1834–1872), originally named Alexis Stenvall, was a Finnish writer hailed as the father of Finnish national literature. His masterpiece Seitsemän veljestä (1870) is the first important novel in Finnish, and he also wrote more than ten plays, including Nummisuutarit and Kullervo, as well as poetry and short stories; ten of his works are held in this collection. His writing draws largely on Finnish rural life and national tradition, with plain, vivid language and careful character portrayal, and it has had a profound influence on the establishment and development of Finnish-language literature. He lived in poverty and gained wide renown only after his death; his birthday, October 10, is observed as Finnish Literature Day. Public information on his early life and education is limited, so no speculation is offered here.