100 Years Ago... Jussi and Karl

In SILENCES: A NOVEL OF THE 1918 FINNISH CIVIL WAR, events 100 years ago have embroiled Jussi Mantere and the Solbakken family in fighting for the White army.

Jussi and his father have had artillery training. Ivor Solbakken, known as Rabbit, has been separated from his brother Karl, who is in the infantry--a foot soldier, in the thick of the action. Rabbit is ostensibly learning to be a cook. The White infantry is joined by artillery in fighting near Vilppula, as Red forces push toward crossroads and rail lines.

Food from Russia is no longer reaching Karl's unit, so they're hungry. And rumours of atrocities swirl like snowflakes--both sides hearing stories that paint the other as irredeemably cruel and evil.

Spring may be returning to Finland, in its nascent independence from Russia. But the relationships among its peoples remains bleak.

Finnish Civil War Opera: My Brother's Keeper

The premiere of VELJENI VARTIJA, an opera by noted Finnish composer Olli Kortekangas, is this Friday, February 16, in Tampere, Finland, at Tampere-Talo. Set in 1918, the opera is "about hate and mercy," focusing on a brother and sister who end up on opposite sides of the Finnish Civil War.

The title translates as "My Brother's Keeper."Librettist and stage director Tuomas Parkkinen says, "The opera is thematically anti-war, and it hardly contains any ideological discussion or political pleas. The name comes from the bible, when Cain, after taking his brother’s life, asked God 'Am I my brother’s keeper?' The answer is yes. We must all look after one another."

Olli Kortekangas has written many operas as well as other vocal works. The opera is in Finnish, with subtitles in both Finnish and English. There will be six performances.

Many thanks to Lakehead University professor emeritus Dr. Raija Warkentin for alerting us to this exciting premiere. Now, if only we were in Finland! 

100 Years Ago... Jussi's Mother

We're now into that part of 2018 that marks the 100th anniversary of events in the Finnish Civil War.

One hundred years ago, Mannerheim had been made Supreme Commander of the White Guards.

In SILENCES: A NOVEL OF THE 1918 FINNISH CIVIL WAR, 100 years ago yesterday, Jussi Mantere's mother was shot by armed men on horseback wearing red armbands.

Was the war itself inevitable 100 years ago? Possibly--probably--maybe. Certainly something changed for Jussi that day, regardless of the force that was ultimately responsible for his mother's death.

Maybe that's what war really is--choices made by individual people, day by day by day. Like waves crashing onto a beach.

Local Review of Silences

Local writer and reviewer Michael Sobota spent time this holiday season with SILENCES: A NOVEL OF THE 1918 FINNISH CIVIL WAR, and wrote a review for the Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal.

An excerpt: "One of the gifts in his writing is a wry, dry sense of humour. Another is his ability to capture the voice of differently aged characters, both in how they speak and how they listen, which accurately differentiates their emotional ages. Above all other themes, Blomstrom explores the changing nature of families and their internal relationships. He shows us that families are more than our blood relations but also our logical ones. He writes with both confidence and insight about their lives and the periods they lived in. This is a splendid, engaging historical novel. Highly recommended."

Thank you, Michael! Find the full review here:

War in Winter

What "winter people" like to say: "It's a dry cold." "You get used to it." "Wear layers." "Any climate is tolerable if you have the right clothing."

But a century ago, many of the materials in cold-weather gear hadn't yet been invented. Most regular folks had to make do with layers and layers of itchy wool.

When the thermometer dips to -35C, it's a stretch to call a walk outdoors with friends "pleasant." Imagine running, hiding, fighting a war when you're cold all the time. When there aren't enough socks in the world to keep your feet warm. When your boots are prized possessions. When it's so cold you can hardly think--just react.

Reading SILENCES: A NOVEL OF THE 1918 FINNISH CIVIL WAR in winter is an excellent reminder of the ever-present discomfort of the first half of the book. Enjoy your windproof jackets, everyone.

Launched!

Sunday afternoon, friends and readers and writers and various Scandihooligans gathered to launch SILENCES: A NOVEL OF THE 1918 FINNISH CIVIL WAR, by Roy Blomstrom.

At the event, Roy talked about his reasons for writing this novel. Look for more of his "about this novel" thoughts in the coming year.

For now, just know that it started with a question to his father about fighting in a war, and his mother's warning to not ask him about it. Here's the conclusion:

"If my father were alive, I would not ask him about it--because it might upset him. That's how silences work, how they erase the past and one generation's best-forgotten memories of it.

"The second generation, however, doesn't have those memories. It's one generation removed from the experience. But it's their--our--job to tell the larger story, to paint a bigger picture, to look for what it meant, to seek an overview. Because they--we--are distant from it.

"And that's why I wrote the book."

Stay tuned for updates about local availability



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Although the launch for SILENCES is also in our rear-view window now, the relevance of books about this and all wars, will never fade. We look forward to telling more stories about SILENCES in 2018. And releasing another title or two. And, someday, sharing a companion novel--or two--to SILENCES.

"Long Live Finland!"

One hundred years ago today, Finland declared its independence from Russia.

The following is a scene from SILENCES: A NOVEL OF THE 1918 FINNISH CIVIL WAR. In December of 1917, government and law enforcement are falling apart as the Great War ravages Europe. A shopkeeper in a small town near Nykarleby is murdered by men who leave a note behind suggesting that the Red Guard, followers of Karl Marx, is responsible. In this scene, Jussi Mantere and several other men meet to discuss establishing a White Guard to help maintain order.

“And today is December sixth,” Norlund, a politician, said nonchalantly. “And in case you haven’t heard, there is now an armistice between Germany and the Bolsheviks.” He waited for the words to take effect, but his audience sat waiting for an explanation. After a moment, he added, “Right now, perhaps even as we sit here, Finland is declaring itself an independent state.” For a moment, no one spoke, then they turned as one toward Emil Almquist, the newspaper editor, for confirmation. “It will be in tomorrow’s Tidning,” Almquist said. “We are no longer a Russian Duchy. We have our country back.” He rose to his feet. “Long live Finland!” The men at the table immediately stood. “Long live Finland!” they shouted in response—all but Jussi, who stood with them but could not speak. His mind was full of thoughts of war. The Reds would think that the countven to them; the Whites would think it was theirs.

From this basic conflict, which Jussi sees so clearly, grows the Finnish Civil War.