Uuno Kailas, born Frans Uno Salonen (29 March 1901 – 22 March 1933) was a Finnish poet, author, and translator. After his mother’s death when he was two years old, he received a strict religious upbringing from his grandmother. He studied in Heinola and occasionally in the University of Helsinki. … Continue reading
Miss Finland 1919 – Rauha Aaltonen It is believed that the first beauty contest held in Finland was waaaay back in 1919 – when the winner of Miss Finland 1919 was Miss Rauha Aaltonen of Pori. Coming second was Mrs Viola Hanén, the wife of a doctor wife from Kurikka, while an actress, … Continue reading
Korsuorkesteri – Finnish songs from the War Years Korsuorkesteri is a Finnish band that plays 1950s and 1960s dance music as well as the war-time songs of World War 2, performing about 170 gigs a year. The band’s most recent efforts are the popular Korsuhartaus church concerts. Korsuorkesteri was founded in February 1990 when Pepe Kovanen arranged a special dance program … Continue reading
The Winter War: The Soviet Attack on Finland, 1939-1940 by Eloise Engle and Lauri Paananen There are a number of books available on the now little-known Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union, which was fought from December 1939 to March during the Sitzkrieg, and just before the Nazi … Continue reading
Visit Finland – 11 Things to Do in Finland in Spring Finland in Spring: Spring is short in Finland, characterized by light winds, clear weather and sunshine during the daytime, with little rainfall (although you may still get the occasional dusting of snow or sleet). On a clear night the … Continue reading
Hotel Kämp: a History of one of Helsinki’s most famous Hotels Built originally in 1887 by the restaurateur Carl Kämp (1848-1889) as a luxurious hotel, and designed by the architect Theodor Höijer (1843-1910), Hotel Kämp is in an ideal location in central Helsinki. At the time of its opening and into … Continue reading
Finnish Air Force 1939-45 by Kalevi Keskinen & Kari Stenman This is a short (64 page) book but with the large format, there is a lot of content. It’s short on verbage (a 1 page written introduction that’s a history of aircraft acquisitions – this book assumes that if you’re … Continue reading
Winter War Forgotten Images by Bair Irincheev “Winter War Forgotten Images” is a collection of unpublished images from the Soviet-Finnish Winter War of 1939-40. The book is 190 pages, hardcover and contains a unique collection of mostly unpublished photos many of them from the old Soviet archives, bunker blueprints and … Continue reading
Frozen Hell – The Legend and the Tragedy of Raate Road by Mika Kulju – the first book in English that covers the Battle of Raate Road in real detail If you’re interested in the Winter War that was fought between the Soviet Union and Finland starting in late November 1939, then … Continue reading
The Unknown Soldier (Tuntematon Sotilas) by Väinö Linna The Unknown Soldier (Tuntematon Sotilas), first published in 1954, was author Väinö Linna’s (1920-1992) first major novel and, whilst almost unknown in the English-speaking world, is, in Scandinavia, widely recognized as among the greatest novels of the twentieth century. In Finland, a … Continue reading
“Born a Soldier: The Times and Life of Larry Thorne” by J. Michael Cleverley Again, this is a book I read and reviewed on Amazon some years ago when it saw its first US publication. “Born A Soldier” is a truly enthralling biography of an outstanding Finnish-born special forces soldier who … Continue reading
Purge (Puhdistus) by Sofi Oksanen Having first read Purge some years ago and posted a review on Amazon, I thought I’d go back, re-read it and edit and repost my review here. And yes, I still think Sofi Oksanen’s bestselling novel Purge is a masterpiece, and I don’t say that lightly. It’s … Continue reading
