FINNISH LITERATURE. The earliest writer in the Fin nish vernacular was Michael Agricola (1506-1557), who published an A B C book c. 1542, and, as bishop of Abo, a number of reli gious and educational works. A version of the New Testament in Finnish was printed by Agricola in 1548, and some books of the Old Testament in 1551-52. A complete Finnish Bible was pub lished at Stockholm in 1642. The dominion of the Swedes was very unfavourable to the development of anything like a Finnish liter ature, the poets of Finland preferring to write in Swedish and so secure a wider audience. It was not until, in 1835, the national epos of Finland, the Kalewala (q.v.), was introduced to readers by the exertions of Elias Lonnrot (q.v.) that the Finnish language was used for literary composition. During the last quarter of the i9th century there was an increasing literary activity in Fin land. A noted contribution to a history of Finnish literature is Krohn's Suomenkielinen runollisuns ruotsinvallan aikana (1862). A great work in the revival of an interest in the Finnish language was done by the Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura (the Finnish Literary Society), which from the year 1841 has published a valu able annual, Suomi. The Finnish Literary Society has also pub lished a new edition of the works of the father of Finnish history, Henry Gabriel Porthan (d. 1804).
In imaginative literature Finland has produced several im portant writers of the vernacular. Alexis Stenwall ("Kiwi") (1834-72), the son of a village tailor, was the best poet of his time; he wrote popular dramas and an historical romance, The Seven Brothers (1870). Among recent playwrights Minna Canth been the most successful. Other dramatists are P. Cajander (1846-1913), who translated Shakespeare into Finnish, and Karl Bergbom (1843-1906), the first manager of the Finnish national theatre. Among lyric poets is J. H. Erkko (1849-1906). The earliest novelist of Finland, Pietari Paivarinta (1827-1913), was the son of a labourer; he is the author of a grimly realistic story, His Life. Many of the popular Finnish authors of our day are peasants. The most gifted of the writers of Finland, however, is certainly Juhani Aho (1861-1921), the son of a country clergy man. His earliest writings were studies of modern life, very real istically treated. Aho then went to reside in France, where he made a close study of the methods of the leading French novelists of the newer school. About the year 1893 he began to publish short stories, some of which, such as Enris, The Fortress of Mat thias, The Old Man of Korpela and Finland's Flag, are delicate works of art, while they reveal to a very interesting degree the temper and ambitions of the contemporary Finnish population. It has been well said that in the writings of Juhani Aho can be traced all the idiosyncrasies which have formed the curious and pathetic history of Finland in recent years.
The most notable of the younger prose writers are Johannes Linnankoski (1869-1913) and F. E. Sillanpaa (b. 1888). Linnan koski achieved European renown by his novel Laulu tulipunaisesta kukasta (1905)—"The Song of the Blood-Red Flower"—which has been translated into a number of languages. His best work from an artistic point of view is Pakolaiset (1908) . Sillanpaa has written several collections of short stories dealing with peasant life, and one great novel dealing with the time of the Red insur rection, which is an important document of social history. His strength lies in psychological descriptions of subconscious states. No other Finnish writer has been so successful in depicting the atmosphere in which the peasant lives his everyday life.
Of the numerous women writers, the following deserve mention: Aino Kailas (b. 1878), short-story writer; two of her volumes being published in English in 1924 and in 1927. The wife of an Estonian scientist and diplomat, she obtained an intimate knowledge of Estonian life, which forms the subject of many of her stories. Maila Talvio (b. 1871) has written numerous novels concerning life among the peasants and higher ranks of society. Maria Jotuni (b. 188o) possesses a realistic power and a robust humour which inform all her stories, novels and comedies. L. Onerva (b. 188 2) is best known for her lyric poetry, but has also written fiction and plays.
Among the poets writing in Finnish, Eino Leino (1878-1925) was unusually productive. He published dramas in prose and verse, novels, short stories, literary studies and numerous volumes of lyric poetry. His most successful works are his Helkavirsid, his toric poems in ballad form of a strongly national colour. also translated Dante's Divine Comedy into Finnish blank verse. Larin Kyosti (b. 1873) is another prolific writer who has achieved a well-deserved popularity by his popular poetry. The lyric poetry of Otto Manninen (b. 1872) is highly esteemed by connoisseurs. Manninen did invaluable work as translator of the Iliad, the Odyssey, Moliere's metric comedies and other works. V. A. Koskenniemi (b. 1885), professor of literature at the Fin nish University of Turku (Abo), has published numerous volumes of poetry.
Emil Zilliacus (b. 1878) published some highly appreciated col lections of lyric poetry. Jarl Hemmer (b. 1893) is the most lyrical and spontaneous of the Swedish poets of *Finland. His poetry still preserves something of the melodiousness character istic of Topelius's lyrics. Hemmer's verse has a winning, youthful charm, which yet does not preclude the expression of loftiness of thought. He also wrote a play, short stories and a novel dealing with the time of the war of independence.
Runar Schildt (1888-1925) was the most eminent writer of Swedish prose in Finland. His short stories are characterized by a highly developed style, penetrating psychological insight and a humane, tolerant view of life. The subjects of some of them were taken from the war of independence and the Red insurrection. Schildt was also a very successful dramatist. Vers libre and ex pressionist prose also found enthusiastic and, in some cases, gifted champions among the writers of Finland both in Swedish and Finnish.