Raivaaja Foundation

The National Book Foundation has announced its longlist for the National Book Awards for 2019.   The categories are Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Translated Literature and Young People’s Literature.  The novel Crossing by Finnish writer Pajtim Statovci is one of nine in the Translated Literature category.  The five finalists will be announced October 8th and the winners November 20th. 

Pajtim Statovci was born in Kosovo in 1990 and moved with his family to Finland when he was two years old. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Helsinki. His first book, My Cat Yugoslavia, won the Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize for best debut novel and his second, Crossing, won the Toisinkoinen Literature Prize. He received the 2018 Helsinki Writer of the Year Award.

The novel is translated from Finnish by David Hackston.

David Hackston is a British translator of Finnish and Swedish literature and drama. Notable publications include Pajtim Statovci’s My Cat Yugoslavia, Maria Peura’s coming-of-age novel At the Edge of Light, The Dedalus Book of Finnish Fantasy edited by Johanna Sinisalo, Sinisalo’s eco-thriller Birdbrain, two crime novels by Matti Joensuu, and Kati Hiekkapelto’s Anna Fekete series.

https://www.nationalbook.org/books/crossing

One of her country’s most celebrated artists, Schjerfbeck 
is little known in the UK, 
but now her singular paintings
 will be seen in a major exhibition..
More at:

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/jul/06/helene-schjerfbeck-finnish-painter-royal-academy

JOENSUU, Finland (AP) — Armed with needles and a yarn of wool, teams of avid knitters danced Thursday to the deafening sounds of drums beating and guitars slashing at the first-ever Heavy Metal Knitting World Championship in eastern Finland.

With stage names such as Woolfumes, Bunny Bandit and 9″ Needles, the participants shared a simple goal: to showcase their knitting skills while dancing to heavy metal music in the most outlandish way possible.

“It’s ridiculous but it’s so much fun,” said Heather McLaren,

More at https://www.apnews.com/fe852ee8bb5f4fbe90142146eb4cdf17

Natalie Robb, great granddaughter of Sirkka and Olavi Tastula
of Fitchburg, represented Finland at a Westminster Girl Scout 
Juniors, Troop 64651, event held at the Westminster Senior
Center on June 8, 2019.
The Scouts were working for their “Bronze Award project 
to promote cultural diversity and knowledge”.  
In addition to Finland,  France, Italy, Mexico, Poland, 
Puerto Rico and Scotland were represented. 
Natalie wore the costume of Etela-Pohjanma, the region 
of Finland from where many in this area emigrated.   
She created a display accompanied by Finnish music playing.  
She talked about and answered questions concerning all the
wonderful things she discovered about the land 
of her great grandparents.   
Natalie also baked and served pannukakku (oven pancake)
for visitors to her display: 

https://raivaaja.org/imageNrobb1.jpeg

Contributed by Joyce Hannula

Finland is the only EU country where homelessness is falling. Its secret? Giving people homes as soon as they need them – https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/jun/03/its-a-miracle-helsinkis-radical-solution-to-homelessness

Finnish investigative journalist Jessikka Aro, who was set to be honored with an International Women of Courage Award, has reportedly had her award rescinded after the State Department discovered she had frequently criticized President Trump on social media…More at.. https.www.thedailybeast.com/us-cancels-journalist-jessikka-aros-award-over-her-criticism-of-trump-report

While Brits watch their libraries disappear, Helsinki’s radical new library combines reading, skills and recreation.

” In Helsinki – home to almost 650,000 people – there are 36 public libraries. “Libraries are the second-highest rated public service in Helsinki; the number one is drinking water,” explains Helsinki’s executive director of culture Tommi Laitio. It is enshrined in law that every Finnish municipality must have a public library, and as a result there are 853 across the country…” more at

https://www.newstatesman.com/spotlight/skills/2019/03/finland-s-new-library-speaks-volumes-about-world-s-most-literate-nation

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/helsinki-coolest-city-finland/index.html

(CNN) — When it snows, the flakes come at you like shards of ice. There’s a biting wind that freezes your ears off. Daylight lasts only a few hours.And no one talks much. Helsinki in the middle of winter sounds like a place to avoid at all costs. A dark, brooding city that shivers under piles of snow.Maybe it was once, but not any more…