Linnankoski, Johannes

Linnankoski, Johannes 

(pseudonym of Vihtori Pel-tonen). Born Oct. 18, 1869, in Askola; died Aug. 10, 1913, in Helsinki. Finnish writer. Son of a peasant.

Linnankoski studied at a teachers’ seminary. His first significant work was The Eternal Struggle (1903), a philosophical religious drama based on a biblical theme. In The Song of the Blood-Red Flower (1905; Russian translation, 1912), which contains realistic elements, the central figure is a young raftsman, a “village Don Juan.” In the novel The Fight Over Heikkila Farm (1907) the character of the heroine is made more complex by mystical features. The novella The Refugees (1908) and the short story “Hilja the Milkmaid” (1913; separate edition, 1920) realistically reveal characteristic features in the everyday life of the Finnish peasantry.

WORKS

Kootut teokset, vols. 1–4. Porvoo, 1914–20.
Kootut teokset, vols. 1–3. Porvoo-Helsinki, 1952.

REFERENCES

Anttila, A., and Vihtori Peltonen. Johannes Linnankoski, vols. 1–2. Porvoo, 1921–27.
Tarkiainen, V., and E. Kauppinen. Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden historia. Helsinki [1961].

I. IU. MARTSINA