Contemporary Finnish Poetry
by Herbert Lomas
Category: Poetry

'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 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.