Runoelmia

Antti MäkinenProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.7

Word count: 104K words
Chapters: 11

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.Runoelmia by Antti MäkinenAuthor: Mäkinen, Antti, 1857-1936,Language: Finnish, Class: PH: Language and Literatures: Finno-Ugrian and Basque languages and literatures, Release Date: Aug 16, 2009

Editor's review

Runoelmia is a poetry collection by the Finnish poet Antti Mäkinen; the title means “Poems.” Written in Finnish, it belongs to the poetic tradition of Finnish literature. Mäkinen was active from the latter half of the nineteenth century into the early twentieth, and his poems stay close to rural life, nature, and everyday feeling, in plain language with a strong rhythm that rewards reading aloud. For readers unfamiliar with Finnish, the collection is less a text to decode than a window: it offers a direct sense of how Finnish poetry organizes syntax and imagery, and it reminds us of the value of public-domain ebooks in preserving literature in minority languages. There is no need to understand every word; begin with a translation or an introduction to grasp the themes, then return to the original for its rhythm. Suited to poetry lovers, learners of Finnish language and culture, and readers who want to broaden their reading in minority languages, to be savored slowly.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers learning Finnish or interested in Finnish literature who want to get a feel for the language's rhythm through poetry.
Lovers of poetry in minority languages who are open to the sound and cadence of other tongues.
Readers studying late-nineteenth-century Finnish poetry and rural themes, who can use it as a primary text for reference.
Language learners who read aloud and want short poems for practicing cadence.

Not a good fit for

Readers with no Finnish at all who hope to understand the content without any aid; the barrier is high.
Readers who prefer strongly plotted, fully narrative long works; a poetry collection will not satisfy them.
Beginners who need detailed notes, a guide, or a bilingual edition; this public-domain ebook is plain.

Reading tips

Start with a Chinese or English anthology of Finnish poetry to get a sense of the themes, then return to the original for comparison.
Read one or two short poems aloud each day, paying attention to stress and pauses; do not translate word by word.
Note recurring natural images in a notebook, and after finishing, look back at how they build into feeling.
If using it for language study, copy out and imitate short poems, following their sentence patterns and rhythm.

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

Can I read this collection without knowing Finnish?

Yes, but you will need help. Learn the basics of the author and of Finnish poetry first, then use a translation or dictionary to grasp each poem's general sense, and return to the original for rhythm and sound. Treat it as material for experiencing the language and culture rather than a text to be read word by word, and you will get more out of it.

What are the themes and style of this collection?

Judging by the author's period and the Finnish poetic tradition, Mäkinen's poems draw on rural life, nature, and everyday feeling, in plain language with a marked rhythm and folk-song influence. For specific poems, rely on the original text; overall the collection suits reading aloud and slow savoring rather than the modern poetry habits of hunting for complex metaphor.

Is this edition suitable for academic citation?

This is a public-domain electronic text from Project Gutenberg. It can be used for general reading and preliminary reference, but the formatting is plain and it lacks textual notes and annotations. For formal academic citation, check an authoritative print edition or a scholarly edition in an academic database, and cite by the original page numbers and edition information.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Antti Mäkinen Author · Finnish · 1857–1936

Antti Mäkinen (1857–1936) was a Finnish writer, journalist, missionary and translator, and a member of the Finnish Free Church. Born in Kuru and died in Siipo, he combined writing with religious work throughout his life, producing poetry and prose as well as translations of religious works. His poems often draw on nature, faith and inner feeling; their plain language and strong religious and lyrical tone give him a place in Finland's religious literary and local writing traditions. His representative works include the poetry collection Runoelmia (1912), along with Soitto on suruista tehty and Metsä-kukkia: Runoa ja Proosaa. Three of his works are held in this collection. Public information on the details of his life is limited, and his influence lies mainly in his poetry and his translations of religious works.