The Unknown Soldier (novel)
Encyclopedia
The Unknown Soldier is author Väinö Linna
's first major novel
and his other major work besides Under the North Star
. Published in 1954, it is a story about the Continuation War
between Finland
and the Soviet Union
as told from the viewpoint of ordinary Finnish soldiers. Gritty and realistic, it was partly intended to shatter the myth of the noble, obedient Finnish soldier, and in that it succeeded admirably. In Linna's own words, he wished to give the Finnish soldier a brain, an organ lacking in earlier depictions — this was a barb directed at Johan Runeberg's The Tales of Ensign Stål
, which admiringly portrays Finnish soldiers with big hearts and little independent intellect. The novel is based on Linna's own experiences, but is more or less fiction
al. In its structure and style, it may be compared to the war novels of James Jones
.
- units were normally made up of men from the same region.) The men have widely varying social backgrounds and political attitudes, and they all have their own ways of coping, but the general picture is one of a quite relaxedly businesslike attitude, and the men's disrespect for formalities and discipline is a source of frustration for some of the officers. They are all there just to get the job done, and official propaganda, both their own and that of the enemy, is to them a source of amusement or outright offensive. Linna's own description of the men in the novel's final sentence is "aika velikultia" — something like "good old boys". The main officer characters are three lieutenants who embody different attitudes: one strict and aloof, one relaxed and fraternal, one idealistic and later disillusioned but brave and loyal to his men.
Linna excels in describing the psychology of his characters. He paints realistic yet deeply sympathetic portraits of a score of very different men: cowards and heroes, the initially naive, eventually brave upper-class idealist Kariluoto, the down-to-earth Koskela, the hardened and cynical working-class grunt Lehto, the platoon comedian Vanhala and the preternaturally strong-nerved Rokka, the politically indifferent Hietanen and the communist Lahtinen. It is only for the sternest officers of the Prussian school for whom he has little love. Many of his characters have come to be seen as archetype
s of Finnish men, household names to whom reference can be made without explanation.
, condemned it for adopting a purposely low vantage-point and ignoring the bigger picture. Linna was accused of making an unnecessary spectacle of dragging the country's patriotic ideals through the mud, and indeed his purpose had been to take such idealism down a peg. Other critics recognised Linna's achievement, however, and the public immediately took The Unknown Soldier as their own. It remains one of the best-selling books of all time in Finland. It is claimed that the book is a tribute to the Finnish men in World War II: anti-war without being defeatist.
under the name Sotaromaani (A War Novel, Linna's working title), revealing that some of Linna's critique of the officer corps and the often quite coarse language of the common soldiers had been removed in the original, though much of the so-called censorship seems to have been standard editorial changes and removal of tautology
. The most significant difference between the two editions is the character of Lehto; in Sotaromaani he is a psychopath, in The Unknown Soldier he is a battle-hardened grunt.
Unfortunately, the only English translation of The Unknown Soldier is faulty, with scenes removed and added for unspecified reasons, and is stylistically misleading as well.
(Täällä Pohjantähden alla).
Väinö Linna
Väinö Linna was one of the most influential Finnish authors of the 20th century. He shot to immediate literary fame with his third novel, Tuntematon sotilas , and consolidated his position with the trilogy Täällä Pohjantähden alla Väinö Linna (20 December 1920 – 21 April 1992) was one of the...
's first major novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
and his other major work besides Under the North Star
Under the North Star
Under the North Star is a novel trilogy by Finnish author Väinö Linna published 1959–1962. It follows the life of a Finnish family from 1880 to about 1950 while simultaneously describing the effects of the important ideals and events of that period have on ordinary people...
. Published in 1954, it is a story about the Continuation War
Continuation War
The Continuation War was the second of two wars fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II.At the time of the war, the Finnish side used the name to make clear its perceived relationship to the preceding Winter War...
between Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
as told from the viewpoint of ordinary Finnish soldiers. Gritty and realistic, it was partly intended to shatter the myth of the noble, obedient Finnish soldier, and in that it succeeded admirably. In Linna's own words, he wished to give the Finnish soldier a brain, an organ lacking in earlier depictions — this was a barb directed at Johan Runeberg's The Tales of Ensign Stål
The Tales of Ensign Stål
The Tales of Ensign Stål is an epic poem written in Swedish by the Finland-Swedish author Johan Ludvig Runeberg, the national poet of Finland...
, which admiringly portrays Finnish soldiers with big hearts and little independent intellect. The novel is based on Linna's own experiences, but is more or less fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al. In its structure and style, it may be compared to the war novels of James Jones
James Jones (author)
James Jones was an American author known for his explorations of World War II and its aftermath.-Life and work:...
.
Plot
The novel has no single central character (it both begins and ends with an ironic play on the narrator's omniscience), and its focus is on different responses to the experience of war. It tells the story of a machinegun company in the war from mobilisation to armistice. A picture of the whole nation in microcosm, the men come from all over the country (a result of Linna's unusual patchwork regimentRegiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
- units were normally made up of men from the same region.) The men have widely varying social backgrounds and political attitudes, and they all have their own ways of coping, but the general picture is one of a quite relaxedly businesslike attitude, and the men's disrespect for formalities and discipline is a source of frustration for some of the officers. They are all there just to get the job done, and official propaganda, both their own and that of the enemy, is to them a source of amusement or outright offensive. Linna's own description of the men in the novel's final sentence is "aika velikultia" — something like "good old boys". The main officer characters are three lieutenants who embody different attitudes: one strict and aloof, one relaxed and fraternal, one idealistic and later disillusioned but brave and loyal to his men.
Linna excels in describing the psychology of his characters. He paints realistic yet deeply sympathetic portraits of a score of very different men: cowards and heroes, the initially naive, eventually brave upper-class idealist Kariluoto, the down-to-earth Koskela, the hardened and cynical working-class grunt Lehto, the platoon comedian Vanhala and the preternaturally strong-nerved Rokka, the politically indifferent Hietanen and the communist Lahtinen. It is only for the sternest officers of the Prussian school for whom he has little love. Many of his characters have come to be seen as archetype
Archetype
An archetype is a universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated...
s of Finnish men, household names to whom reference can be made without explanation.
Reception
The novel received mixed reviews. Conservative critics, most notably Toini Havu in Helsingin SanomatHelsingin Sanomat
Helsingin Sanomat is the largest subscription newspaper in Finland and the Nordic countries, owned by Sanoma. Except after certain holidays, it is published daily. In 2008, its daily circulation was 412,421 on weekdays and 468,505 on Sundays...
, condemned it for adopting a purposely low vantage-point and ignoring the bigger picture. Linna was accused of making an unnecessary spectacle of dragging the country's patriotic ideals through the mud, and indeed his purpose had been to take such idealism down a peg. Other critics recognised Linna's achievement, however, and the public immediately took The Unknown Soldier as their own. It remains one of the best-selling books of all time in Finland. It is claimed that the book is a tribute to the Finnish men in World War II: anti-war without being defeatist.
Sotaromaani
An "uncensored" version of the book was published with much fanfare in 20002000 in literature
The year 2000 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* February 13 - Final original Peanuts comic strip is published...
under the name Sotaromaani (A War Novel, Linna's working title), revealing that some of Linna's critique of the officer corps and the often quite coarse language of the common soldiers had been removed in the original, though much of the so-called censorship seems to have been standard editorial changes and removal of tautology
Tautology (rhetoric)
Tautology is an unnecessary or unessential repetition of meaning, using different and dissimilar words that effectively say the same thing...
. The most significant difference between the two editions is the character of Lehto; in Sotaromaani he is a psychopath, in The Unknown Soldier he is a battle-hardened grunt.
Unfortunately, the only English translation of The Unknown Soldier is faulty, with scenes removed and added for unspecified reasons, and is stylistically misleading as well.
Connections to Under the North Star
The book shares a few scenes and one main character, Vilho Koskela, with Linna's other major work, the trilogy Under the North StarUnder the North Star
Under the North Star is a novel trilogy by Finnish author Väinö Linna published 1959–1962. It follows the life of a Finnish family from 1880 to about 1950 while simultaneously describing the effects of the important ideals and events of that period have on ordinary people...
(Täällä Pohjantähden alla).
Film adaptations
- The Unknown Soldier (1955 film)The Unknown Soldier (1955 film)The Unknown Soldier is a Finnish film directed by Edvin Laine and premiered in December 1955. It is based on The Unknown Soldier, a novel by Väinö Linna. The story is about the Continuation War between Finland and the Soviet Union as told from the viewpoint of ordinary Finnish soldiers...
- The Unknown Soldier (1985 film)The Unknown Soldier (1985 film)The Unknown Soldier is a Finnish 1985 film directed by Rauni Mollberg. It is a remake of the 1955 film of the same title, directed by Edvin Laine and based on the best selling Finnish novel by the same name written by Väinö Linna. Mollberg used young and unknown actors, many of them now famous,...