''Under the North Star'' () is a

trilogy A trilogy is a set of three distinct works 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. Three-part works that are considered components of ...

published between 1959 and 1962 by

Väinö Linna Väinö Linna (; 20 December 1920 – 21 April 1992) was a Finnish author and a former soldier who fought in the Continuation War (1941–44). Linna gained literary fame with his third novel, ''Tuntematon sotilas'' ( ''The Unknown Soldier'', pu ...

, Finnish author and former soldier who fought in the

Continuation War The Continuation War, also known as the Second Soviet–Finnish War, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union during World War II. It began with a Finnish declaration of war on 25 June 1941 and ended on 19 ...

(1941–44). The

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

follows the life of a Finnish family from 1880, through the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the

Finnish Civil War The Finnish Civil War was a civil war in Finland in 1918 fought for the leadership and control of the country between Whites (Finland), White Finland and the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic (Red Finland) during the country's transition fr ...

and the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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

Finland's language strife Finland's language strife (; ) was a major conflict in mid-19th century Finland. Both the Swedish and Finnish languages were commonly used in Finland at the time, associated with descendants of Swedish colonisation and leading to class tensions ...

and the struggle between the

Whites White is a racial classification of people generally used for those of predominantly European ancestry. It is also a skin color specifier, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, ethnicity and point of view. De ...

(

nationalists Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, Id ...

) and the Reds (

bolsheviks The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

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

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

have been made: the 1968 film ''

Here, Beneath the North Star ''Here, Beneath the North Star'' () is a 1968 Finnish drama film directed by Edvin Laine. It was entered into the 6th Moscow International Film Festival. The film is based on the first two volumes of Väinö Linna's novel trilogy '' Under the ...

'' (based on the first and second volumes of trilogy) and its 1970 sequel ''

Akseli and Elina ''Akseli and 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 and final volume of Väinö Linna's novel trilogy '' Under the North S ...

'' (based on the third and final volume). The novel shares one main character, Akseli Koskela, and covers some of the same events as Linna's 1954 novel: '' The Unknown Soldier'', which is considered the author's

magnum opus A masterpiece, , or ; ; ) is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, skill, profundity, or workmanship. Historically, ...

Plot summaries

Vol. I: ''Under the North Star''

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

Häme Tavastia (; ; ; also called ''Yam'' (Ямь) or ''Yem'' (Емь) in Russian sources) is a historical province in the south of Finland. It borders Finland Proper, Satakunta, Ostrobothnia, Savonia and Uusimaa. History The province has been ...

, 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 in the village of Pentinkulma. Jussi's son Akseli becomes an active

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

. At the same time the upper classes are concerned with

language strife Finland's language strife (; ) was a major conflict in mid-19th century Finland. Both the Swedish and Finnish languages were commonly used in Finland at the time, associated with descendants of Swedish colonisation and leading to class tensions ...

and

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

's relationship with

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

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

, 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: Vilho, Eero and Voitto. 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 The Red Guards () were a mass, student-led, paramilitary social movement mobilized by Chairman Mao Zedong in 1966 until their abolition in 1968, during the first phase of the Cultural Revolution, which he had instituted.Teiwes According to a ...

, 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 is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

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

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

created the

heaven Heaven, or the Heavens, is a common Religious cosmology, religious cosmological or supernatural place where beings such as deity, deities, angels, souls, saints, or Veneration of the dead, venerated ancestors are said to originate, be throne, ...

and the

earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...

,” and the opening sentence of the

Gospel of John The Gospel of John () is the fourth of the New Testament's four canonical Gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "Book of Signs, signs" culminating in the raising of Lazarus (foreshadowing the ...

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

. ''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 Novels by Väinö Linna