Arto Paasilinna (1942–2018)

Paasilinna has fun once again with the chaos created when a conservative small community in the Finnish back of beyond has to deal with the intrusion of a stranger who refuses to conform. The miller Gunnar Huttunen is a skilled and resourceful craftsman, but when he takes over an abandoned mill in a remote village, some of the village dignitaries are worried by his phases of odd behaviour — imitating animals and howling at night — and they start a campaign to have him locked up as a show more dangerous lunatic. Things escalate out of control rapidly.

Paasilinna‘s dry humour and caustic analysis of rural petty-mindedness are very enjoyable, as ever, but there’s also a serious point here about the need to be open to people different from ourselves. show less

Cosa succederebbe se gli antichi dei, stanchi dello strapotere della religione cristiana, decidessero di tornare sulla terra e reclamare i loro diritti divini? Questo succede nella esilarante Finlandia di Paasilinna, dove il Dio del Tuono decide di mandare sulla terra il suo unico figlio, che però non ha alcuna intenzione di morire appeso a una croce. Buon divertimento!

A classic, if slightly tongue-in-cheek, novel of rebellion against the conformity of organised society. A Helsinki journalist discovers the hollowness of the urban life he’s been leading when he gets the chance to bond with a wild animal, and he spends a mad but very fulfilling year getting back to nature. In the course of which he gets drunk numerous times (this is Finland, after all) and manages to commit no fewer than 22 crimes against the laws of bourgeois society, culminating in an show more unauthorised expedition into the Soviet Union. Some hard-hitting satirical points, an upbeat message about the power of expressing your individuality, and some endearing animal moments. What’s not to like?

The English translation, by the veteran poet and prolific Finnish translator Herbert Lomas (an unusual example of a translation being done by someone a generation older than the author) sometimes feels a little awkward, largely because of the way Lomas has translated the author’s informal language with 1940s-vintage British military slang. show less

Running after hares might change your life

I’ve enjoyed other books by Arto Paasilinna, but it’s been a while. This read was not part of the plan. I shouldn’t be surprised, when was “plan” part of any Paasilinna book?

Vatanen is a journalist who hates his job, hates his marriage, hates his life. Then one day he runs into a forest chasing a hare. The poor creature has been hit by car Vatanen was in… The man and the hare adopt each other and never look back. They travel all over show more Finland, jumping from one crazy situation into an even crazier one. I laughed in disbelief quite a few times! Vatanen meets conspiracy theorists, moonshine makers, crazy bulldozer drivers, foreign diplomats… On and on it goes. My favourite chapter was probably the one with the priest 😉

The ending felt abrupt, but I think it was the only way to finish this picaresque story.

It’s a pity this was an audiobook! I didn’t like the narrator at all. (Don’t take my word for it, though, this being my ca fourth audiobook ever.) The voice was so distracting, it kept pulling me out of the book. 1.5 speed worked wonders once I realized I could do that!

I had fun, just not as much fun as I expected. I have no way of knowing if the audiobook is to blame. show less