''Elämä lyhyt, Rytkönen pitkä'' ("Life short, Rytkönen long") is a 1991 Finnish novel by

Arto Paasilinna Arto Tapio Paasilinna (, approximately ; 20 April 1942 – 15 October 2018) was a Finnish writer, being a former journalist turned comic novelist. One of Finland's most successful novelists,exVirtual Finland, 2007 Archived at Wayback Machine. he ...

, While farcical throughout, from the title's twist on the original saying onwards, it has a somewhat

elegiac The adjective ''elegiac'' has two possible meanings. First, it can refer to something of, relating to, or involving, an elegy or something that expresses similar mournfulness or sorrow. Second, it can refer more specifically to poetry composed in ...

mood, with a constant undercurrent of tragedy leavened by humor. A film adaptation of the novel by

Ere Kokkonen Erkki Olavi "Ere" Kokkonen (7 July 1938 – 16 October 2008), born in Savonlinna, was a Finnish film director and screenwriter. He worked closely with Spede Pasanen all the way from the 1960s until Spede's death, as a director, writer and also ...

was released in 1996. The film features many well-known Finnish actors, including

Santeri Kinnunen Santeri Karl-Henrik Kinnunen (born 20 August 1969) is a Finnish actor. Kinnunen, who spent most of his career at the Helsinki City Theatre, has acted in numerous film and television productions and worked as a voice actor. Kinnunen started the ...

as Seppo Sorjonen and Liisa Roine.

Plot

Seppo Sorjonen, a young cab driver/

wage slave Wage slavery is a term used to criticize Exploitation of labour, exploitation of labour by business, by keeping wages low or stagnant in order to maximize profits. The situation of wage slavery can be loosely defined as a person's dependence ...

fed up with his lifestyle, and Taavetti Rytkönen, an old retired war veteran, standing in the middle of a road with a thick wad of bills in his pocket, trying to remember who he is and how he got there, meet by chance. Rytkönen hires Sorjonen as his driver and the two people go on a leisurely, low-drama road trip through Finland.

References

1991 novels Finnish novels adapted into films Novels by Arto Paasilinna Novels set in Finland 1990s Finnish novels {{1990s-novel-stub