''Under the North Star'' ( fi, Täällä Pohjantähden alla) is a

trilogy A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected and can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, and video games, and are less common in other art forms. Three-part wor ...

published between 1959 and 1962 by

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

author

Väinö Linna Väinö Linna (; 20 December 1920 – 21 April 1992) was a Finnish author. He gained literary fame with his third novel, ''Tuntematon sotilas'' ( ''The Unknown Soldier'', published in 1954), and consolidated his position with the trilogy ''Tää ...

. The novel follows the life of a Finnish family from 1880, through the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the

Finnish Civil War The Finnish Civil War; . Other designations: Brethren War, Citizen War, Class War, Freedom War, Red Rebellion and Revolution, . According to 1,005 interviews done by the newspaper ''Aamulehti'', the most popular names were as follows: Civil W ...

and the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, to about 1950. Through the lives of ordinary people, it describes the clash of ideals in

Finland's language strife Finland's language strife ( sv, Finska språkstriden, lit=Finnish language dispute) ( fi, Suomen kielitaistelu, lit=Finnish language struggle) was a major conflict in mid-19th century Finland. Both the Swedish and Finnish languages were commonly u ...

and the struggle between the Whites (

nationalists Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

) and the Reds (

socialists Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the eco ...

) in the movement to Independence and Civil War. Based on the work, two film adaptations directed by

Edvin Laine Edvin Laine (13 July 1905 – 18 November 1989) was a Finnish film director. Laine was born Bovellán. Laine directed a comedy ''Aaltoska orkaniseeraa'' and family film ''Sleeping Beauty (1949 film), Sleeping Beauty'', both in 1949. ''The U ...

have been made: the 1968 film '' Here, Beneath the North Star'' (based on the first and second volumes of trilogy) and it's the 1970 sequel ''

Akseli and Elina ''Akseli and Elina'' ( fi, Akseli ja Elina) is a 1970 Finnish drama film directed by Edvin Laine. It was entered into the 7th Moscow International Film Festival. The film is based on the third volume of Väinö Linna's novel trilogy ''Under th ...

'' (based on the third and final volume). The novel shares one main character, Akseli Koskela, and covers some of the same events as another novel: '' The Unknown Soldier'' by the author.

Plot summary

Vol I: Under the North Star

"In the beginning there were the swamp, the hoe – and Jussi", book starts, when the story opens with Jussi, a farm hand from

Häme Häme (; Swedish: ''Tavastland'', Latin: ''Tavastia'') is the name of a geographical region in Finland, associated with the Tavastians, or Häme people (''hämäläiset''), a subgroup of the Finnish people. The precise area referred to can vary ...

, clearing marshland to create a croft, which will later be called Koskela. In the first part of the book tension mounts between crofters and land owners. Jussi's son Akseli becomes an active

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...

. At the same time the upper classes are concerned with

language strife Finland's language strife ( sv, Finska språkstriden, lit=Finnish language dispute) ( fi, Suomen kielitaistelu, lit=Finnish language struggle) was a major conflict in mid-19th century Finland. Both the Swedish and Finnish languages were commonly u ...

and

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

's relationship with

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

Vol II: The Uprising

In the second part the

breaks out. The book describes the atrocities committed on both sides, as well as the tensions which lead up to them. The war hits Koskela harshly, for the family loses two sons.

Vol III: Reconciliation

In the third part the community is dominated by the whites, the victors of the Civil War. In Koskela, however, matters improve as crofters are liberated and Koskela becomes an independent farm. Things turn for the worse at the outbreak of the

. Again Koskela pays a heavy price, losing three sons. The last chapters of the book concentrate on the reconciliatory atmosphere created by the joint hardships endured during the war.

Main characters

* ''Akseli Koskela'', platoon leader in the Red Guard, later a farmer * ''Elina Koskela'', Akseli's wife * ''Jussi Koskela'', Akseli's father, tenant of the vicarage * ''Alma Koskela'', Akseli's mother and Jussi's wife * ''Aleksi Koskela'', Akseli's brother, Jussi and Alma's second son * ''August Koskela'', Akseli and Aleksi's brother, Jussi and Alma's third son. (Aku for short) * ''Adolf Halme'', village tailor * ''Lauri Salpakari'', the local vicar and landlord of the Koskela Family * ''Ellen Salpakari'', Vicar Salpakari's wife, a conservative politician * ''Otto Kivivuori'', tenant farmer, Elina's father * ''Anna Kivivuori'', Otto's wife, Elina's mother * ''Janne Kivivuori'', Otto and Anna's eldest son, mason, socialist politician * ''Oskari Kivivuori'', Otto and Anna's youngest son, member of the Red Guard (Osku for short) * ''Anttoo Laurila'', tenant farmer * ''Uuno Laurila'', Anttoo's son, member of the Red Guard * ''Elma Laurila'', Anttoo's daughter, Akusti's fiancée * ''Kalle Töyry'', master of the Töyry House, landlord of the Laurila Family * ''Artturi Yllö'', judge and wealthy landowner * ''Antero Mellola'', very fat saw-mill owner * ''Preeti Leppänen'', tenant farmer * ''Aune Leppänen'', Preeti's daughter * ''The Baron'', owner of the Manor, landlord of the Leppänen Family * ''The Baroness'', The Baron's wife * ''The Wolf-Kustaa'', hunter and tramp

Impact

The book is considered a classic in

with print runs into hundreds of thousands. Even most of those who have not read the book are familiar with the iconic opening words "''Alussa olivat suo, kuokka — ja Jussi''" ("In the beginning there were the bog, the hoe — and Jussi"). It is a reference to two verses from the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

, the opening sentence of the creation account, “In the beginning

God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

created the heaven and the

earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

,” and the opening sentence of the

Gospel of John The Gospel of John ( grc, Εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Ἰωάννην, translit=Euangélion katà Iōánnēn) is the fourth of the four canonical gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "sig ...

, “In the beginning was the Word”. The second book in the trilogy, ''The Uprising'', generated considerable controversy over its portrayal of the

because, for the first time, a novel was published that was sympathetic (in human terms, if not politically) towards the

Reds Reds may refer to: General * Red (political adjective), supporters of Communism or socialism * Reds (January Uprising), a faction of the Polish insurrectionists during the January Uprising in 1863 * USSR (or, to a lesser extent, China) during th ...

. Up until then, all history of the Finnish Civil War had been written by the

Whites White is a racialized classification of people and a skin color specifier, generally used for people of European origin, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, and point of view. Description of populations as ...

. ''Under the North Star'' played a crucial role in starting a discussion in Finland over what really happened in 1918 and in healing decades-old wounds between the two factions.

Translations

''Under the North Star'' has been translated into English by Richard Impola: *Vol. 1 ''Under the North Star'' pub. 2001, *Vol. 2 ''Under the North Star 2: The Uprising'' pub. 2002, *Vol. 3 ''Under the North Star 3: Reconciliation'' pub. 2003, Unfortunately these translated publications contain many typographical errors.''See, e.g.'', ''Under the North Star 2: The Uprising'' at p. 27, where "realization" is rendered as "realization "; ''see also'' p. 412., where a sentence is repeated verbatim, clearly erroneously. Elsewhere, an asterisk appears although there are no notes to the translation. Other minor errors, such as random periods and white space formatting errors, are present throughout.

Footnotes

External links

The Finnish Civil War as Depicted in Väinö Linna's ''Under the North Star'' Biography of Väinö Linna
on: 100 Faces from Finland – a Biographical Kaleidoscope (retrieved: January 2013)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Under The North Star Novel series Historical novels by series 20th-century Finnish novels Novels set in Finland Family saga novels Nordic Council's Literature Prize-winning works