
KANSAN KESKELTÄ
MAILA TALVIO
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In a bright spring of 1899 a polished house in Porvoo becomes the stage for a quiet yet charged encounter. Iida, a lively young woman of modest means, greets the distinguished Master Airanen, who has arrived on horseback with a peculiar gift—a hand‑stitched tablecloth that sparks a shy exchange of glances and words. Their dialogue weaves together the expectations of a respectable family, the subtle play of class, and Iida’s own uncertainty about a future that seems both promising and puzzling.
As Airanen begins to recount his voyages through the Rhine valleys, sun‑kissed vineyards and distant monasteries, Iida’s imagination steers. The conversation turns to the prospect of traveling abroad, a notion that promises freedom but also challenges the traditional role she is expected to fulfill. Listeners are invited to follow Iida’s gentle search for identity, where humor and earnestness mix with the early stirrings of a modern Finland.
Language
fi
Duration
~2 hours (120K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
Finland: Werner Söderström, 1900, reprint 1956.
Release date
2023-05-19
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1871–1951
A major Finnish novelist, translator, and cultural figure, she wrote stories that engaged with social questions while also helping bring European literature to Finnish readers. Her long career made her one of the notable literary voices in Finland in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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