Poems. A New Series

Valter JuvaProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.1

Word count: 56K words
Chapters: 6

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.Runoja. Uusi sarja by Valter JuvaAuthor: Juva, Valter, 1865-1922,Language: Finnish, Class: PH: Language and Literatures: Finno-Ugrian and Basque languages and literatures, Release Date: Jun 27, 2006

Editor's review

This is a poetry collection by the Finnish poet Valter Juva, a new series within his poetic output, written in Finnish. Juva's writing is often associated with the national epic, the folk poetry tradition, and the linguistic renewal of Finnish literature; this collection is best read in the context of Finnish poetry history and national awakening. For Chinese readers, its value lies more in its significance as a sample of language and prosody: one can observe Finnish syllable, stress, and line organization, and it can also serve as auxiliary material for the comparative literature topic of "rewriting the national epic." As a public-domain ebook, the edition presents the original text without line-by-line notes, so the main barrier to reading is language. It is recommended to treat it as a text for repeated recitation rather than a popular work to be read through in one sitting; for research needs, it should be supplemented with translations and literary history materials.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers learning Finnish who wish to engage with poetry in the original
Scholars studying Finnish literature and the national epic tradition
Translators working on poetry and concerned with prosodic issues
Advanced readers with a foundational interest in Nordic literature

Not a good fit for

Readers with no Finnish at all and no translation to assist them
Beginners expecting Chinese annotations or an introduction
General readers who only want plot-driven works

Reading tips

Read a few poems aloud first to feel the syllables and stress, then look up word meanings.
Understand the themes in light of the national epic and linguistic renewal in Finnish literary history.
Read alongside a reliable translation and note differences in prosodic handling.
Read only a small number of poems at a time, leaving time for rereading and excerpting.

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 book without knowing Finnish?

You can get the gist with a translation and a dictionary, but reading the original directly requires basic Finnish proficiency. If you only want to understand the content, look for a relevant translation or a literary history introduction first; if you want to study the language and prosody, you need some grounding in Finnish spelling, pronunciation, and grammar.

Is this poetry collection suitable for reading from cover to cover?

Not really. Poetry collections are better suited to reading and revisiting in small portions, especially when reading the original requires looking up words and sensing the rhythm. You can read in groups by theme or length and return to them after some time; this makes it easier to grasp the language features than reading straight through.

Where does it stand in Finnish literature?

Juva's work is connected to the Finnish national epic tradition and the development of literary language; specific assessments should refer to works of Finnish literary history. As one series of his poetry collections, this book is better used as material for studying his poetic language and the context of his era rather than read in isolation as a representative work.

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About the author

Valter Juva Author · Finnish · 1865–1922

Valter Juva (1865–1922) was a Finnish poet and translator, born Valter Henrik Juvelius in Pyhäjoki and died in Viipuri. Under the pen name Valter Juva he published the poetry collections Kuvia ja säveliä (1897) and Runoja: Uusi sarja (1902), poems that draw largely on the landscapes and folk life of Finland and Karelia, with a tone close to rural and popular tradition. Beyond his own poetry he worked as a translator, rendering Goethe, Heine, Byron and others into Finnish and bringing European literature to Finnish readers. Four of his works are held in this collection, including the story collection Valkoinen kameeli ja muita kertomuksia itämailta and Maahengen salaisuus: Tohtori salapoliisina, which show his writing also ranging into exotic settings and detective fiction. As public information is limited, details of his life and his place in literary history remain to be further examined.