Nordic Council Literature Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 2 (1963) Winner
Väinö Linna
ヴァイノ・リンナ
Vaino Linna
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1920-12-20 （Urjala, Finland）
- Died
- 1992-04-21 （Tampere, Finland） age 71
- Nationality
- Finnish
- Languages
- Finnish
- Residence History
- Urjala (birthplace) → Tampere (worked and later lived) → Hämeenkyrö (period of farming)
Career
- Occupations
- author, novelist, former soldier
- Active Years
- 1947-1992
- Influenced By
- Arthur Schopenhauer, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Friedrich Nietzsche, Erich Maria Remarque
- Influenced
- Finnish writers of social realism, Authors influenced in war literature and national memory
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public school (six years) | — | — | — | 1930年代（約6年間の基礎教育） | Finland |
Public school (six years)
Period:
1930年代（約6年間の基礎教育）
Country:
Finland
No higher education; completed about six years of public schooling in childhood.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Nordic Council's Literature Prize (Part III) | Under the North Star, Part III: Reconciliation | — | Nordic Council | winner |
| 1980 | Honorary Academician (title) | — | — | Finnish government (honorary title) | honorary title |
Nordic Council's Literature Prize (Part III)
1963
Work:
Under the North Star, Part III: Reconciliation
Organization:
Nordic Council
Result:
winner
Honorary Academician (title)
1980
Organization:
Finnish government (honorary title)
Result:
honorary title
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
The Unknown Soldier (Tuntematon sotilas)
1954 war novel, social realismA novel depicting the daily life and combat experiences of soldiers during the Continuation War, told from ordinary soldiers' perspectives. It portrays diverse personalities and realistic wartime experiences, challenging simplistic heroism.
war and everyday lifecomradeshipreexamination of heroism
Adaptations
- [film] The Unknown Soldier (1955 film) / Edvin Laine (1955)
- [film] The Unknown Soldier (1985 film) / Rauni Mollberg (1985)
- [film] The Unknown Soldier (2017 film) / Aku Louhimies (2017)
Translations
- English translation: The Unknown Soldier
Under the North Star (Täällä Pohjantähden alla) trilogy
1959 historical novel, social novelA trilogy set from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century in rural Finland, portraying peasants' and workers' lives and conflicts over land and power. It interweaves social change and individual fates.
class struggleland and laborsocial change and identity
Adaptations
- [film] Here, Beneath the North Star (1968 film) / Edvin Laine (1968)
Translations
- English translation: Under the North Star (translated by Richard Impola)
Oheisia
1967 short stories/essaysA collection containing several short stories and essays.
observations of everyday lifesocial perspective
Murroksia
1990 collectionA late-career collection including short stories and fragments.
agingmemory
Sotaromaani (uncensored version of The Unknown Soldier)
2000 war literature (reissue/uncensored)An uncensored edition of the 1954 The Unknown Soldier, based on original manuscript material.
rawness of warcensorship and memory
Bibliography
- 1947: Päämäärä
- 1948: Musta rakkaus
- 1949–53: Messias (unfinished)
- 1954: Tuntematon sotilas (The Unknown Soldier)
- 1959–63: Täällä Pohjantähden alla I–III (Under the North Star trilogy)
- 1967: Oheisia
- 1990: Murroksia
- 2000: Sotaromaani (uncensored version)
Adaptations
- Film adaptations of The Unknown Soldier (1955, 1985, 2017)
- Film adaptation of Under the North Star (1968)
Translations of Works
- Under the North Star - English translation by Richard Impola
- The Unknown Soldier - English translation
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- social realismcolloquial, populist prosedetailed character portrayal
- Recurring Motifs
- the everydayness of warclass and conflicts over landrural-to-urban migration and modernization
Health
-
stroke1984年以降Loss of speech and serious impact on late-life health and literary activity
-
cancer晩年（診断年不詳）Weakened his condition and contributed to his death in 1992
Legacy
Väinö Linna had a profound impact on modern Finnish literature. His depictions of war in The Unknown Soldier and the societal trilogy Under the North Star are regarded as national classics. Many phrases from his works entered popular speech, and his portrait appeared on a banknote.
Academic Societies
- Finnish Literature Society (Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura)
In Popular Culture
- Opening lines and lines from The Unknown Soldier have become nationally recognized quotations in Finland
- His portrait appeared on the 20 markka banknote from 1993 until the adoption of the euro
- His works have been filmed multiple times and are closely tied to school curricula and national memory
Quotes
-
In the beginning there were the swamp, the hoe — and Jussi.
Source: Under the North Star, Part I (1959) -
Where do you need a real good man, here you have one!
Source: Antero Rokka's line from The Unknown Soldier (1954)
Trivia
- The Unknown Soldier sold about 175,000 copies within six months of publication, making it a bestseller in Finland at the time.
- He burned wartime notes that he could not publish; those experiences later formed the basis of his fiction.
- He only completed about six years of public schooling and worked in textile mills before becoming a full-time writer.
- Väinö Linna Square in Tampere was named in his honor in 1995.