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War history and novels

From war books

Release
21.1.2020 08:39
About the meaning of war books and their advice.

After the wars, reading was probably the number one hobby of few. At least in the countryside. Probably the whole concept of hobby was vague and unnecessary. Work, reconstruction and survival were enough for daily activity. Reading skills were maintained with the short stories and follow-up stories of Lukemista allikkei and Nyyrikki magazines, Mika Waltar's Sinuhe the Egyptian's sexual insinuations increased the interest in reading. In the 2020s, Sinuhe will hardly cause the same tremors as in 1945.

One genre of literature has attracted both war veterans and their children and grandchildren to read: war literature. In Heikki Turunen's ear-piercing series, there is a scene where the wife encourages war veteran Viljo Oinonen to read the freshly baked Unknown Soldier. Eagerly, Viljo grabs the book, but soon he starts to jump and laugh, his behavior indicates that reading is a sheer waste of time, which takes away from doing work.

Despite Viljo's attitude, the war books about the Winter and Continuation War have maintained their popularity for almost 80 years. The last professional writer with experience of the war, armored personnel carrier and war cameraman Reino Lehväslaiho, died last year, but now young people are writing war books. The most read new names in war novels are Esa Sirén, Kristian Kosonen, Pekka Jaatinen and Ville Kaarnakari. One of the most popular books set in wartime in recent years has been Katja Ketu's Midwife. From the non-fiction side, Teemu Keskisarja, Lasse Laakosonen and Mika Kulju should be mentioned.

Now that the historians have already documented all the troop divisions and the divisions, several books about the wartime related to the home front and civilian life have been published. One of the most interesting of these is Mieliala: Helsinki 1939-1945 compiled by Anna Kortelainen and other researchers. It is based on the material of Päämaja's mood intelligence, and the Helsinki Art Museum organized an exhibition of the same name based on the book and material. Great new books have also appeared on the background of the winter war, such as Kai Häggman, Teemu Keskisarjan and Markku Kuisma's 1939, Laura Kolbe, Samu Nyström and Henrik Tala's Helsinki 1939 : the capital and a major turning point, and Pekka Visur and Eino Murtorinte's Hitler and Stalin's Trade in Finland 1939-1940 .

I pushed myself to recommend books for such a special occasion as for the missionary circle. I prepared to present a wide range of spiritual literature, but military history was also requested. This is just how it goes! The district is mainly attended by seniors, so I organize for them an overview of new trends in military history and new authors. Of course, I will also include my own all-time favorites, such as the memoirs of Wolf H. Halst, the defense speech written in prison by head accommodation master AF Airo, My Defense Struggle, and Olavi Paavolainen's Synkä soliloquy.

Knowing the history of war and especially understanding the reasons that led to wars is especially important for us modern people. The more we read and know history, the less we hope to repeat the mistakes of the past.

mika. kahkonenatimatra.fi (mika[dot]kahkonen[at]imatra[dot]fi)
Tel: 020 617 6602