Ostro...what? is probably the reaction of many of you. Go to Ruritania and turn left.
But no, this is a real literature, with a real profile, authors, the lot. Let me explain:
Firstly, the language. Ostrobothnian literature is written in Swedish. There is some dialect input, but it's mainly standard Swedish. Geographically, ?sterbotten, as the province is called in Swedish, is in Finland. The Latinised English name is Ostrobothnia.
The Finnish citizens writing in Swedish are termed Finland-Swedes. This includes authors from the capital, Helsinki. But Ostrobothian authors come from a province that is halfway up on the left of Finland. The main towns are Vasa and Jakobstad (Vaasa and Pietarsaari in the Finnish language), plus the tiny Nykarleby. Ostrobothnia is flat, mainly rural, and the industries there include mink farming, market gardening and boat-building. Writers in this part of Finland tend to be left-wing. Several were Communists in the 1970s and 1980s.
I taught English there in the 1980s, and have somehow formed a bond with the region. There are surprisingly many authors living there. A few have been translated into English, mainly poets. But they deserve more.
One poet from there is G?sta ?gren (born 1936). You can read about him at:
http://www.spl.org.uk/poets_a-z/agren.html
He won the Nordic Prize for his poetry in 1989 and again in 1991. His poetry has also been translated into Finnish (obviously), French, Spanish, Icelandic, Russian, Dutch and Hungarian. So poets from the provinces sometimes escape the stamp of "provincialism". ?gren has always been an ardent Communist. The ?gren family inculdes several other writers.
Another younger poet, a little of whose work is available in English is Ralf Andtbacka (born 1963), whose poetry was translated as part of a Yorkshire-Finnish poetry exchange initiative, around the poetry anthology "Interland", part-subsidised by the Cultural Services of Kirklees Council. He has also edited a book of literary portraits of 15 Ostrobothnian authors and literary figures called "Skulle det bli br?sttoner?". Figures examined include mainly contemporary authors but also some from further back in time. Andtbacka is the firebrand that keeps the cultural festival in Vasa going.
In the same anthology, we can find poems by Carita Nystr?m (born 1940). She started the Writers' School in Ostrobothnia. See:
http://www.intland.net/
One novelist of note, as yet untranslated into English, is Lars Sund (born 1953). The English Wikipedia article about him says very little indeed:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lars_Sund
But more thorough articles, describing his latest novel and previous ones, can be found at:
http://www.finlit.fi/fili/en/spotlight/lars_sund.html
and
http://www.swedishbookreview.com/article-2005-s-sund.asp
Finally, one poet that I am thinking of translating is the contemporary Modernist Eva-Stina Byggm?star (born 1967) who has written stylistically very sophisticated poetry and has published 11 collections. See one poem by her at:
http://www.electricverses.net/sakeet.php?poet=9&poem=0&language=3
Her latest two collections that I have read, Knoppar blommor blad och grenar (Buds flowers leaves and branches) and ?lvdrottningen (The Elven Queen), appeared in 2005 and 2006. Her usual panthe?stic yearnings are much in evidence there.
But no, this is a real literature, with a real profile, authors, the lot. Let me explain:
Firstly, the language. Ostrobothnian literature is written in Swedish. There is some dialect input, but it's mainly standard Swedish. Geographically, ?sterbotten, as the province is called in Swedish, is in Finland. The Latinised English name is Ostrobothnia.
The Finnish citizens writing in Swedish are termed Finland-Swedes. This includes authors from the capital, Helsinki. But Ostrobothian authors come from a province that is halfway up on the left of Finland. The main towns are Vasa and Jakobstad (Vaasa and Pietarsaari in the Finnish language), plus the tiny Nykarleby. Ostrobothnia is flat, mainly rural, and the industries there include mink farming, market gardening and boat-building. Writers in this part of Finland tend to be left-wing. Several were Communists in the 1970s and 1980s.
I taught English there in the 1980s, and have somehow formed a bond with the region. There are surprisingly many authors living there. A few have been translated into English, mainly poets. But they deserve more.
One poet from there is G?sta ?gren (born 1936). You can read about him at:
http://www.spl.org.uk/poets_a-z/agren.html
He won the Nordic Prize for his poetry in 1989 and again in 1991. His poetry has also been translated into Finnish (obviously), French, Spanish, Icelandic, Russian, Dutch and Hungarian. So poets from the provinces sometimes escape the stamp of "provincialism". ?gren has always been an ardent Communist. The ?gren family inculdes several other writers.
Another younger poet, a little of whose work is available in English is Ralf Andtbacka (born 1963), whose poetry was translated as part of a Yorkshire-Finnish poetry exchange initiative, around the poetry anthology "Interland", part-subsidised by the Cultural Services of Kirklees Council. He has also edited a book of literary portraits of 15 Ostrobothnian authors and literary figures called "Skulle det bli br?sttoner?". Figures examined include mainly contemporary authors but also some from further back in time. Andtbacka is the firebrand that keeps the cultural festival in Vasa going.
In the same anthology, we can find poems by Carita Nystr?m (born 1940). She started the Writers' School in Ostrobothnia. See:
http://www.intland.net/
One novelist of note, as yet untranslated into English, is Lars Sund (born 1953). The English Wikipedia article about him says very little indeed:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lars_Sund
But more thorough articles, describing his latest novel and previous ones, can be found at:
http://www.finlit.fi/fili/en/spotlight/lars_sund.html
and
http://www.swedishbookreview.com/article-2005-s-sund.asp
Finally, one poet that I am thinking of translating is the contemporary Modernist Eva-Stina Byggm?star (born 1967) who has written stylistically very sophisticated poetry and has published 11 collections. See one poem by her at:
http://www.electricverses.net/sakeet.php?poet=9&poem=0&language=3
Her latest two collections that I have read, Knoppar blommor blad och grenar (Buds flowers leaves and branches) and ?lvdrottningen (The Elven Queen), appeared in 2005 and 2006. Her usual panthe?stic yearnings are much in evidence there.
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