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sawyerbell's review
4.0
3.5 stars. It's always difficult to know how to rate an anthology and that's especially true for this one. While several of the stories did not capture my interest at all, others were engrossing from the very first line and filled my imagination with delicious images.
In particular, I enjoyed Pentti Holappa's "Boman" (the adventures of a cultured and rather sarcastic talking dog), Aarto Paasalinaa's "Good Heavens!" (a man learns being dead can be very interesting) and Johanna Sinisalo's "Transit" (an autistic girl acts on a message received from dolphins).
I look forward to reading other collections of European fantasy from Dedalus.
In particular, I enjoyed Pentti Holappa's "Boman" (the adventures of a cultured and rather sarcastic talking dog), Aarto Paasalinaa's "Good Heavens!" (a man learns being dead can be very interesting) and Johanna Sinisalo's "Transit" (an autistic girl acts on a message received from dolphins).
I look forward to reading other collections of European fantasy from Dedalus.
velocitygirl14's review against another edition
5.0
This was a good primer into Finnish literature and although some was a bit weird, I really liked this collection. I might even see about getting the whole books into English if I can.
balancinghistorybooks's review against another edition
4.0
Although I have showcased rather a lot of Finnish literature during my 2017 Reading the World Project, I felt that The Dedalus Book of Finnish Fantasy, edited by Johanna Sinisalo, would add something a little different to proceedings. It is an anthology which is comprised of the work of twenty distinct Finnish authors, who span the period 1870 to 2003. They range from the well-known - Moomin creator Tove Jansson and Arto Paasilinna, for instance - to those which have not been published in English before. The entirety, with its rather broad scope, has been translated by David Hackston, and is one of the books in the Dedalus series of Fantasy Literature in Translation.
I must begin by writing that I am not personally the biggest fan of fantasy literature; I picked this up because much of it is involved with magical realism, mythology, and Finnish folklore, three topics which I find markedly interesting. The Independent writes in its review of the book: 'These excellent stories share an edginess that's quite distinct from the quirkiness many contemporary English writers prefer to celebrate.'
In her introduction to the anthology, Sinisalo writes: 'Literature written in the Finnish language is surprisingly young.' In fact, written literature has existed for only a few centuries, and secular literature only since the 1800s. Most Finns did, and still do, write in Swedish, which has official language status throughout the country. As with other Nordic countries, literature is incredibly important for the population; many people read, and Sinisalo points out that 'literature is read, bought and borrowed from libraries more than almost anywhere else. Statistically Finns are among the most literate people in the world.'
In The Dedalus Book of Finnish Fantasy, a lot of the entries are short stories, but there are also some carefully chosen extracts from longer works. Each entrant is among good company; six of the twenty authors included have received the most prestigious literary award to exist in Finland, and many have been translated in a whole host of different languages. Sinisalo has intended to 'build up a cross-section of Finnish fantasy, both thematically and chronologically.' Whilst the stories included are largely very different, Sinisalo writes that when compiling the book, she 'observed that certain distinctly Finnish elements and subjects recur throughout these stories, albeit in a myriad of different ways, but in such a way that we can almost assume that, exceptionally, they comprise a body of imagery central to Finnish fantasy literature.'
Throughout, the sense of place and nature is so strong, and the collection is not simply a conglomeration of run-of-the-mill fantasy; rather, it is incredibly literary. Finland's rich history inspires the stories, which include such fantastical elements as werewolves, and resurrections of stuffed creatures, as well as isolated storms which play havoc. Different perspectives have been used, including a very striking story told from the voice of a ghost. The prose, overall, is beautiful, and its translation has been handled marvellously.
Some stories, of course, appealed to me more than others; I half expected that this would be the case. However, the collection read as a whole is incredibly rich, and presents a splendid thematic idea. It has reminded me of stories which I adore, as well as bringing new writers to my attention - Sari Peltoniemi's 'The Golden Apple' is a firm new favourite, for example - which can only be a positive.
I must begin by writing that I am not personally the biggest fan of fantasy literature; I picked this up because much of it is involved with magical realism, mythology, and Finnish folklore, three topics which I find markedly interesting. The Independent writes in its review of the book: 'These excellent stories share an edginess that's quite distinct from the quirkiness many contemporary English writers prefer to celebrate.'
In her introduction to the anthology, Sinisalo writes: 'Literature written in the Finnish language is surprisingly young.' In fact, written literature has existed for only a few centuries, and secular literature only since the 1800s. Most Finns did, and still do, write in Swedish, which has official language status throughout the country. As with other Nordic countries, literature is incredibly important for the population; many people read, and Sinisalo points out that 'literature is read, bought and borrowed from libraries more than almost anywhere else. Statistically Finns are among the most literate people in the world.'
In The Dedalus Book of Finnish Fantasy, a lot of the entries are short stories, but there are also some carefully chosen extracts from longer works. Each entrant is among good company; six of the twenty authors included have received the most prestigious literary award to exist in Finland, and many have been translated in a whole host of different languages. Sinisalo has intended to 'build up a cross-section of Finnish fantasy, both thematically and chronologically.' Whilst the stories included are largely very different, Sinisalo writes that when compiling the book, she 'observed that certain distinctly Finnish elements and subjects recur throughout these stories, albeit in a myriad of different ways, but in such a way that we can almost assume that, exceptionally, they comprise a body of imagery central to Finnish fantasy literature.'
Throughout, the sense of place and nature is so strong, and the collection is not simply a conglomeration of run-of-the-mill fantasy; rather, it is incredibly literary. Finland's rich history inspires the stories, which include such fantastical elements as werewolves, and resurrections of stuffed creatures, as well as isolated storms which play havoc. Different perspectives have been used, including a very striking story told from the voice of a ghost. The prose, overall, is beautiful, and its translation has been handled marvellously.
Some stories, of course, appealed to me more than others; I half expected that this would be the case. However, the collection read as a whole is incredibly rich, and presents a splendid thematic idea. It has reminded me of stories which I adore, as well as bringing new writers to my attention - Sari Peltoniemi's 'The Golden Apple' is a firm new favourite, for example - which can only be a positive.
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