Arto Paasilinna - The Year of the Hare

[Dunelm]

On the recommendation of a Swedish friend I recently read Paasilinna's excellent novel The Year of the Hare. The books protagonist, Vatanen, turns his back on his old life, wife and job and heads off into the Finnish woods on a year long journey after he accidently hits a young hare on a country road one night.

Nursing the hare back to health he works as a forester and odd-job man, travelling northwards towards the arctic circle. The book has a lot of things that the "bushcrafter" would enjoy - including tips on getting cows out of bogs, keeping ravens from eating your spam and how to track a bear accross the Russian border! Although the section on getting drunk in forest fires does seem to pander to national stereotypes.

English translation for £8.99. Recommended.

 

[Doc]

Thanks, think I will get this. I've recently finished reading the Finnish folk epic 'Kalevala' - apparently it was one of the influences for 'Lord of the Rings'.

Interesting folk, the Finns.

 

[hammock monkey]

thanks for the recommendation, sounds interesting - i need something new to read and that fits the bill!

 

[Dunelm]

Thanks, think I will get this. I've recently finished reading the Finnish folk epic 'Kalevala' - apparently it was one of the influences for 'Lord of the Rings'.

Interesting folk, the Finns.

I'm not sure it influenced the structure of LotR but Prof T based Quenya on Finnish, just as he based Sindarin on Welsh and the mannish languages of Rhovanion on Gothic. I tend to just dip in and out of the Kalevala for the bear charms and snake charms - it's not what you call a page turner