Juhani Aho
1861 – 1921
"Aho’s literary output was wide-ranging since he pursued different styles as time passed – he started as a realist and his first novel “Rautatie” (Railroad, 1884), one of his main works, is from this period. Later he moved towards neo-romanticism with his novels “Panu” and “Kevät ja takatalvi” as well as Juha, his most famous work which has been twice adapted an opera, and filmed four times, most recently in 1999 by Aki Kaurismäki. In addition to his novels Aho wrote a number of short stories in a distinct style, called “lastuja” (“splinters”). Their topics varied from political allegories to depictions of everyday life. The first and most famous of the short stories is “When Father Brought Home the Lamp”, depicting the effect of technical innovation on people living in the countryside. Nowadays the title is a Finnish saying used when something related to new technology is introduced. Aho was one of the founders of Päivälehti, the predecessor of the biggest newspaper in Finland today, Helsingin Sanomat." (see source)
Here is an English translation of "When Father Brought Home the Lamp," :
Writers History: Realism: Juhani Aho: http://writershistory.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=293&Itemid=43
Wikipedia Information Juhani Aho: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juhani_Aho
The idea of splinters or wood chips intrigues me. It seems closely related to the proletarian "sketches" that were done by some US writers, in the early 1900s. These sketches were sometimes profiles, sometimes a scenario, without a plot. Now perhaps the form might be called a short short story.
The idea of splinters or wood chips intrigues me. It seems closely related to the proletarian "sketches" that were done by some US writers, in the early 1900s. These sketches were sometimes profiles, sometimes a scenario, without a plot. Now perhaps the form might be called a short short story.
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