Scandinavian American. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1945-1958, 1951-11-05
NHka Waltari:
By Heikki Immeli


critic wrote OF Walta-i: a great,
unrestricted talent, in danger of
exhaustion. unless some unexpect-
ID change in the course OF its flow
can be brought about. His rich
epic style has 10 parallel IN our
literature But 50 far he has Of
ten very often. merely toyed with
his powers failing to take his
work seriously enough"
TIE author. who was then hardly
30, already had behind him an un-
interrupted professional experience
OF ove- tel years With untiring
diligence Walta-i had polished his
epic style II the most varied liter
ary forms. enriched his magma
ton and knowledge n the bound
less vis-sS q world literature; his
reading was not confined to the
weu--own classics only. but OBJ
v.ously extended 70 the dusty vol
Unes % less known shelves.
Having published in Ms very
young years some collections of
religious poems and studied theol-
ogy for Z year a. the university,
Waltarl was confronted with
great spiritual crisis which de-
cisively changed his picture Of the
world.
IN 1925 the authors remarke bic
first novel ~Suuri nlusioni'' 1.-The
Great Illusion was published; its
ease OF description, its developed
simplicity OF style and realistic
freshness OF attitude aroused well
deserved attention. 1t could be
characterised as kind of "confes-
son OF the child Of his century
Youth Is always stupid, - it
does TOT know what life is Youth
II It's entirety is an illusion. That
Is why i i 50 very lovely" That
novel and = couple Of other novels
q his younger years, "Yksinaisen
niehen iuna" The Lonely Mans
Trainr) and "Appelsiininsiemen'
The Orange Seed reveal the
main features OF Waltari's liter
arr character and outlook on life.
They evidence his excellent phys
iological eye. with which he de-
scribes the first erotic experiences
% young people, all that is ugly
and low encountered by innocent,
inexperienced youth, so often
breaking the man. leaving him
with { permanent mental trauma.
To Wal-ari. erotics always hide
something painfully oppressive.
And that feeling colours the whole
Of life. ii which helpless man,
stripped bare. Is exposed to con-
tinuous disappointment and revers-
IS Al idealism is condemned by
-he wise detached observer of life
as mere delusive illusion. One of
Wal-ar's constant inner mental
attitudes. e sort OF key TO his en-
tire production. is hidden in one
o. his earlier works: Il listened
Il has always been my fate
70 listen. The most heated and
hzppiest ecstacy of life has never
happened TO touch me. l have but
listened 20 IL" This standpoint
has remained: the first experience
- Of life of the male characters
Of his early works as we'll as Sim
uhe's mature philosophy and Mich
els adventurous vicissitudes find
their origin in that observation of
life Waltari's women, most of
them. are magnetic fields, attract
ing the more passive men. Their
magic power often Contains sumo
thing destructive, evil
One OF the finest achievements
Of Waltari's earlier years is the
short novel ~Vieras mics tuli ia
loon "A Stranger Came to the
House,. bearing the imprint of
the mastery technicality and new
er fsltering style of an author
In a sense. it is his most pessimis-
tic, depressing work But its view
Of life differs in a peculiar way
from all Waltari's other produc-
tons; il describes love a la Law
renee. as a renewing force in life.
with man and woman seen as two
poles with equal values.
Waltari has never closed his
eyes 70 the social wrongs of life.