A WINTER'S DAY

by Henrik Tikkanen ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 22, 1980

The first volume of Finnish (though Swedish-writing) Tikkanen's autobiography, and subtitled: ""The First Part Of A Story Which Teaches That A Man Who Will Not Look Forward and Cannot Look Backward Should Look Out""--which gives a fair idea of Tikkanen's morosely cynical approach. Born of Swedish-Finnish parents (a minority in Finland holding disproportionate linguistic, cultural, and governmental power), Henrik is the youngest boy of the family. Father is a bom-rich-but-blew-it drinker; Mother unfaithful, then fed-up: she scrams. Summer camp for Henrik, then home to watch Father drink himself silly the rest of the year. To save the youngster from suffocation by boredom, however, comes the Winter War against the Russians, tragicomedy that it was. The Finns find themselves manipulated into allying themselves with Hitler; they fight bravely for a while, but vainly. A conscripted Henrik finds it all too foolish for words, ghastly and scary too. Chased by a low-flying Soviet plane: ""This personal interest in my farewell to fife struck me as almost flattering. . . ."" Before things get too out of hand, he shoots himself in the arm and is promptly demobilized. So, all in all, as we take leave of Henrik right after the war, the book--and the young life--is a ""winter's day"": ""Short and dark and you cannot see anything at a distance."" A bleak, bitter clutch of throwaways, laughing to keep from, etc. But will you care? Translator Sandbach's afterword about Finnish history would have been more profitably placed first; as is, you're dunked immediately into a strange land, talked to by a strange man about events you can barely make out. The promised two succeeding volumes may flesh out the whole, but until then: disorienting.

Pub Date: May 22, 1980

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Pantheon

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1980

Categories: NONFICTION