Contemporary Finnish Poetry by Herbert Lomas

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'Finnish poetry is a popular poetry. It does not solve problems, or try to, but people turn to it for solace, inspiration, stimulation to think about themselves, extensions of experience, and the shaping spirit. This poetry has fed a clearly felt hunger: the need for companionable reports on what it is like to be a Finn in this phase of the muddle for survival. But like all authentic local reports, its appeal is universal. 'It is very spare. Our own poetry can look baroque to the Finns, not show more leaving enough silence between the words. The younger poets are already moving in new directions. Inheriting a flexible common idiom, forged by the previous generation, they have been liberated.' - Herbert Lomas.Herbert Lomas's anthology traces the history of post-war Finnish poetry, showing the rise and repercussions of Finland's own revolution in poetry. In a wide-ranging introduction, he describes the poetry of all 21 writers featured in the book, and presents a detailed analysis of the two major poets with international reputations, Paavo Haavikko and Pentti Saarikoski, the most famous of the brilliant generation of 21 year-olds who led the rejuvenation of Finnish poetry in the 1950s. The selections from the towering and controversial figures of Haavikko and Saarikoski cover their whole careers. But the other poets too - ranging from Eeva-Liisa Manner (born 1921) to Satu Salminiitty (born 1959) - are comprehensively presented. Among the book's surprises are the animal parables of Kirsi Kunnas, Finland's Stevie Smith, and the satires of Jarkko Laine, whose work is fuelled by a hatred of conventional poetry and religion. show less

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misteraitch 62 reviews

This book was a revelation to me, in fact it’s fair to say it’s one of a handful of books that have changed my outlook on life. It contains one of the richest concentrations of outstandingly fine poetry I have ever found. Names such as Paavo Haavikko, Pentti Saarikoski and Eeva-Liisa Manner will sound merely foreign and strange to all but a few outside their native country, but if you are at all susceptible to poetry, and you read Herbert Lomas’ translations of their work, you will take them to heart, and not forget them. As well as a few hundred translations, Lomas also contributes a lengthy introductory essay which outlines the history of poetry in Finland, and the landmark events and personalities that have shaped it. One observation show more of his which rings true in many of these poems is that they share in a certain sparsity, that the words are somehow not too close together, as they often seem to be in English-language poetry. The reader has often to leap between words and ideas, or else be left stranded, and this is exhilarating. show less

Nov 19, 2006

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