The Winter War

ISBN: 097310533X

Author: Tuuri, Antti

Condition: Used

Antti Tuuris The Winter War is the novelists sincere tribute to the Finnish soldiers of the Winter War, the 105-day war following Russias invasion of Finland in November of 1939. Events are seen through the eyes of Martti Hakala, now an old man, who had been a rank-and-file soldier of the 23rd Infantry regiment, a unit drawn mainly from the province of Ostrobothnia. Like so many of his countrymen, Martti was called up to defend his country in this national emergency.

The Winter War is based on authentic war diaries, interviews with veterans, and other first-hand sources. It is not, however, a documentary. It depicts the reactions of ordinary men to extraordinary circumstances, and what happens to these men when prolonged exposure to violent death and destruction creates an alternative reality, nightmarish and inescapable.

Richard Impolas English rendering of the text recreates the terse, succinct Hemingway style for which Tuuri is famous. Tuuris spare realism is a quiet voice in the thunderous theater of war.

Pekka Parikkas celebrated film The Winter War (1989) was inspired by Tuuris novel. In fact, the first film made about this epic struggle, it was scripted by Antti Tuuri and Pekka Parikka, and produced by Marko Rhr.