Epic prose has played and continues to play an important role in Finnish literature. Seitsemän veljestä (1870; Seven Brothers) by Aleksis Kivi is considered to be the first novel written in Finnish. Other early leading prose writers include Frans Eemil Sillanpää, the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1939. Although Mika Waltari represented newer trends in literature, it was his historical novels, among them Sinuhe, egyptiläinen (1945; The Egyptian), that brought him fame. Väinö Linna, a leading postwar writer, became known for his war novel Tuntematon soltilas (1954; The Unknown Soldier) and for the trilogy Täällä Pohjantähden alla (1959–62; Under the North Star). Other novelists have written in shorter forms, but the broad epic has remained popular, particularly among writers describing the contradictions in Finnish life from the turn of the century to modern times. One of the central figures in the Finnish modernist movement of the 1950s was poet and playwright Eeva Liisa Manner, perhaps best remembered for her poetry collection Tämä matka (“This Journey,” 1956). Other well-known Finnish authors include Kari Hotakainen, Leena Lehtolainen, Rosa Liksom, Asko Sahlberg, and Johanna Sinisalo.
Literature written in Swedish has had a long tradition in Finland. Among 19th-century writers, Johan Ludvig Runeberg, the national poet, and Zacharias Topelius played leading roles. Later 20th-century poets such as Edith Södergran had a strong influence on the modern poetry of both Finland and Scandinavia. One of Finland’s most beloved and widely translated authors, Tove Jansson, wrote her many books about the Moomin family in Swedish. The Swedish language continues to be used in Finnish literature, and writers such as Kjell Westö, Märta Tikkanen, Monika Fagerholm, and Jörn Donner are widely read in Finland and abroad. Art, architecture, and design
From the time that the Kalevala inspired the paintings of Die Brücke Expressionist Akseli Gallen-Kallela, there has been a distinctive school of Finnish painters, but the Finnish artistic genius has been continually drawn to three-dimensional work. Sculpture is important, highly abstract, and experimental; Eila Hiltanen’s monument to Sibelius in Helsinki is composed of chrome, metal, and steel tubes.
Modern Finnish architecture is among the most imaginative and exciting in the world. Its development was closely allied to the nationalist movement, and among its pioneers were the internationally renowned Eliel Saarinen, whose work is exemplified by the National Museum and the Helsinki railway station, and Lars Sonck, whose churches in Helsinki and Tampere are particularly notable. Finnish women were also early innovators as architects, including Wiwi Lönn and Signe Hornborg, the latter one of the first formally trained female architects in the world.
Helsinki railway station.© Zygimantas Cepaitis/Fotolia
In the 20th century the idea of functionalism was developed by Gustaf Strengell. In the 1920s Alvar Aalto and Erik Bryggman began experimenting with regional variations on the International Style. Among the most striking examples of Aalto’s work are the Paimio Sanatorium, the library at Viipuri, and Finlandia Hall, a concert and congress hall in Helsinki. There is general experimentation, using concrete and metals, in Finnish industrial buildings and flats and in environmental design, as at the garden town of Tapiola outside Helsinki. The new generation of architects has continued these standards. Architects such as Juha Ilmari Leiviskä, known for his innovative churches, and Pekka Helin and Tuomo Siitonen, whose flexible and adaptive working spaces are intended to encourage creative thinking, have been lauded at home and abroad.
Chapel of the cemetery at Turku, Fin., by Erik Bryggman, 1938–41Courtesy of the Museum of Finnish Architecture, Helsinki
Finnish design—especially in glass, porcelain, and textiles—became internationally known during the postwar period. Factories such as the well-known Arabia and Marimekko in Helsinki have given artists a free hand to develop their ideas and skills. Tapio Wirkkala, Kaj Franck, and Timo Sarpaneva in glassware, Marjatta Metsovaara in textiles, and Dora Ljung in ryijy, a type of knotted pile-weave rug, are among the best-known designers.
Double-cased glass vases designed by Timo Sarpaneva, Iittala glassworks, Finland, 1957. In Die Neue Sammlung, Munich. Height (left) 30 cm., (right) 17.5 cm.Courtesy of Die Neue Sammlung, Munich
Cultural institutions
Finland’s public cultural institutions are made up of a big, varied, and comprehensive network. The institutions are largely supported, planned, and organized by national and local authorities. The planning of cultural policies is in the purview of the Finnish Ministry of Education. Finnish arts and cultural activities are considered important not only to a strong national identity but as a valuable export and source of international interest. Since 1969, Finland has administered a system of artists’ grants that allocate a tax-free monthly stipend (for a variety of periods) to artists working in architecture, motion pictures, crafts and design, dance, literature, music, theatre, photography, and other visual arts. Public support for artists is also made available through grants and subsidies for “high-quality productions”—including films, photographic art books, and crafts and design—and by purchasing works of art for public buildings and spaces.
Finns are also active in creating culture on an amateur basis. People participate eagerly in cultural clubs and organizations, local choirs and orchestras, and local dance, theatre, and dramatic societies, along with other similar groups. These groups organize a wide variety of year-round local and regional cultural events throughout the country.
Turku CastleLarge hall in Turku Castle, now part of the provincial museum in Turku, Finland.© Ron Gatepain (A Britannica Publishing Partner)
Turku CastleTurku Castle, now part of the provincial museum in Turku, Finland.© Ron Gatepain (A Britannica Publishing Partner)Of Finland’s more than 1,000 museums, about 200 are dedicated to the arts. The national art museum is the Finnish National Gallery, composed of the Ateneum Art Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, the Sinebrychoff Art Museum, and the Central Art Archives. There are also a number of regional art museums.
Libraries are especially important cultural institutions in Finland, and Finns are among the world’s most avid library users. Since the founding of its first library, in 1794 in Vaasa, Finland has developed a comprehensive network of tens of millions of books and other items in its plentiful public libraries, including a seagoing library to serve the needs of islanders. Because of their important role in public education and service, especially in their use as civic meeting places and cultural centres, libraries are highly regarded and well funded by the Finns. The Helsinki University Library is also the National Library of Finland. Sports and recreation
In Finland the basic national sport—which originally was a necessary means of winter transportation—is cross-country skiing. Nationalism also encouraged the development of special proficiency, which was fostered by ski fairs and competitions held at Oulu beginning in the late 1890s. A century later, Finns were still making their mark on the sport, not least being Marja-Liisa Hämäläinen, who won seven Olympic gold medals in the 1980s and ‘90s.