Kotona: Kuvaelma Itä-Suomesta

In this vivid portrait of 19th‑century Eastern Finland, a series of short sketches brings the remote countryside to life. The author weaves together folklore, history, and everyday hardship, showing how the landscape shapes its people. From bustling market days to quiet evenings by the hearth, each vignette feels like a window onto a world both harsh and beautiful.

The centerpiece is Israel Pullinen, an aging farmer whose towering presence and quick tongue make him the village’s unofficial storyteller and envoy. Revered for his poetry and his loyalty to the distant tsar, he navigates the uneasy balance between local customs and imperial edicts. Through his eyes we glimpse the tension of a community asked to trade its ancestral lands for promises of security.

These tales capture the rhythm of a changing era—old symbols clashing with new laws, faith tested by poverty, and the stubborn resilience of those who call the forest their home. Listeners will be drawn into the rich oral tradition that still echoes across the Finnish lakelands.