Popular noval in Finland?

weijie · Post by **weijie** » Mon May 09, 2011 2:02 pm

Would you please tell me, what are the popular novels in Finland in recent 2 years?
And what is the language difficulty level, how many vocabulary do you estimate if a Finnish learner what to read?
I found lots of pocket novel books in bookshop, but I want to know what young people are reading.

**Sponsor:**

Upphew · Post by **Upphew** » Mon May 09, 2011 3:18 pm

http://www.kustantajat.fi/tilastot/best ... fault.aspx

Rob A. · Post by **Rob A.** » Mon May 09, 2011 10:15 pm

Upphew wrote:http://www.kustantajat.fi/tilastot/best ... fault.aspx

Hmmmm..

So here are the top 20 for 2010...I thought I would try translating this from my head...without a dictionary...so see how far I can get

1. Ilkka Remes: Shokkiaalto...."Shock Wave"
2. Riikka Pulkkinen: Totta...."Of Course"
3. Reijo Mäki: Kolmijalkainen mies ...."Three-legged Man"
4. Mikko Rimminen: Nenäpäivä ..."Nose Day"
5. Sofi Oksanen: Puhdistus....I've seen this word before ...???..."The Fallen"...??
6. Matti Yrjänä Joensuu: Harjunpää ja rautahuone...." the ??? Head and the Iron Room"
7. Leena Lehtolainen: Minne tytöt kadonneet.....??? Girls ???...forgotten this word..but it's a plural present participle...

8. Virpi Hämeen-Anttila: Toisen taivaan alla..."Under Another Sky"
9. Anja Snellman: Parvekejumalat...."Balcony Train"...whatever that means ??
10. Tuomas Kyrö: Mielensäpahoittaja.....????
11. Eppu Nuotio: Paine....Hmmm...I better not guess at this one ...

12. Eve Hietamies: Yösyöttö..."Night Eating"
13. Enni Mustonen: Lapinvuokko...Hmmm I should know this..?? "Lapland Hill"...??
14. Taavi Soininvaara: Pakonopeus....?? Just a guess..."Learning of Necessity"..??
15. Tuomas Lius: Laittomat......??? though the word looks familiar.
16. Reino Lehväslaiho: Alakurtin tie....."Road of ???"
17. Seppo Jokinen: Räätälöity ratkaisu..."Lost Route ???"
18. Peter Franzen: Tumman veden päällä...."Over Dark Water"...???
19. Jarkko Sipilä: Katumurha...."Street Murder"
20. Antti Tuuri: Rata...."Route"....

Any comments???...

EP · Post by EP » Mon May 09, 2011 10:39 pm

2. Riikka Pulkkinen: Totta...."Of Course" ---> ”True”

5. Sofi Oksanen: Puhdistus....I've seen this word before ...???..."The Fallen"...?? ---> ”Purge” (That is how it was translated)

6. Matti Yrjänä Joensuu: Harjunpää ja rautahuone...." the ??? Head and the Iron Room" ---> Harjunpää and the Iron Room (Harjunpää is the name the main character)

7. Leena Lehtolainen: Minne tytöt kadonneet.....??? Girls ???...forgotten this word..but it's a plural present participle... ---> ”Where have the Girls Disappeared?”

9. Anja Snellman: Parvekejumalat...."Balcony Train"...whatever that means ?? ---> ”Balcony Gods” (jumala, not juna)

10. Tuomas Kyrö: Mielensäpahoittaja.....???? ---> I have no idea how that should be translated

11. Eppu Nuotio: Paine....Hmmm...I better not guess at this one ... ---> ”Pressure”

12. Eve Hietamies: Yösyöttö..."Night Eating" ---> ”Night Feeding” (a baby)

13. Enni Mustonen: Lapinvuokko...Hmmm I should know this..?? "Lapland Hill"...?? ---> ”Lapland´s Anemone” (Dryas Octopetala)

14. Taavi Soininvaara: Pakonopeus....?? Just a guess..."Learning of Necessity"..?? ---> ”Flight Speed”

15. Tuomas Lius: Laittomat......??? though the word looks familiar. ---> ”Lawless”

16. Reino Lehväslaiho: Alakurtin tie....."Road of ???" ---> ”Alakurtti Road” (again a name)

17. Seppo Jokinen: Räätälöity ratkaisu..."Lost Route ???" ---> ”A Tailor-made Solution”

20. Antti Tuuri: Rata...."Route".... ---> Could be that, could also be ”Railroad” (depends on the content, I have not read it)

onkko · Post by **onkko** » Mon May 09, 2011 10:56 pm

EP wrote: 10. Tuomas Kyrö: Mielensäpahoittaja.....???? ---> I have no idea how that should be translated

heres mielensäpahoittaja

now rob just gives us correct translation

Rob A. · Post by **Rob A.** » Tue May 10, 2011 12:55 am

EP wrote: 6. Matti Yrjänä Joensuu: Harjunpää ja rautahuone...." the ??? Head and the Iron Room" ---> Harjunpää and the Iron Room (Harjunpää is the name the main character)

....and another language learning "issue".... When to take words literally...and when to realize they mean something else... Literally: Harjunpää="Esker Head"...."lots of "eskers" in Finland ..

EP wrote:9. Anja Snellman: Parvekejumalat...."Balcony Train"...whatever that means ?? ---> ”Balcony Gods” (jumala, not juna)

Ahhh, yes....I saw an "n" when I should have seen an "m"....

EP wrote:10. Tuomas Kyrö: Mielensäpahoittaja.....???? ---> I have no idea how that should be translated

I finally figured that out....see next post below....

EP wrote:12. Eve Hietamies: Yösyöttö..."Night Eating" ---> ”Night Feeding” (a baby)

Oh well...close...

EP wrote:]13. Enni Mustonen: Lapinvuokko...Hmmm I should know this..?? "Lapland Hill"...?? ---> ”Lapland´s Anemone” (Dryas Octopetala)

Thanks...I think I was thinking about the word, vuokra...which would have been incorrect..."Lapland's Lease"....

EP wrote:14. Taavi Soininvaara: Pakonopeus....?? Just a guess..."Learning of Necessity"..?? ---> ”Flight Speed”

...I see that now ...Pako...nopeus

Rob A. · Post by **Rob A.** » Tue May 10, 2011 1:01 am

onkko wrote:
EP wrote: 10. Tuomas Kyrö: Mielensäpahoittaja.....???? ---> I have no idea how that should be translated

heres mielensäpahoittaja now rob just gives us correct translation

Well, I had to look this up....pahoittaa mielensämielipaha="to hurt feelings"

So I think it is "one with hurt feelings"....

onkko · Post by **onkko** » Tue May 10, 2011 1:02 am

Rob A. wrote:
EP wrote:14. Taavi Soininvaara: Pakonopeus....?? Just a guess..."Learning of Necessity"..?? ---> ”Flight Speed”
...I see that now ...Pako...nopeus

Escape velocity is, i think, "proper" translation. Atleast if this is about space shuttles

Jukka Aho · Post by **Jukka Aho** » Tue May 10, 2011 1:05 am

Rob A. wrote:
EP wrote:14. Taavi Soininvaara: Pakonopeus....?? Just a guess..."Learning of Necessity"..?? ---> ”Flight Speed”
...I see that now ...Pako...nopeus

Actually, it’s the established Finnish equivalent of the physics term “escape velocity”. Then again, it could well be a play on the words and mean something else here. Authors love taking common expressions and making double entendres out of them, especially in the titles of their books.

Jukka Aho · Post by **Jukka Aho** » Tue May 10, 2011 1:14 am

Rob A. wrote::D Well, I had to look this up....pahoittaa mielensämielipaha="to hurt feelings"

So I think it is "one with hurt feelings"....:D

The ending -ja/-jä usually converts a verb into an “occupational title”. Juoksija, laulaja, siivoaja, ...

To allow one’s own feelings to be hurt – and to actively make it so – may not be a profession, but mielensäpahoittaja is a title which makes it sound like it was. So someone called that way is a “professional insultee”, a “professional offendee”, a person who gets offended with such ease and representing such skill – and with some regularity, too – they almost have to have practiced it or done it for living; they’re really good at it.

Compare to riidankylväjä, who, in the case of this cover picture, is the little man in the middle, rubbing his hands together and looking pleased.

You sometimes see the word ammattiloukkaantuja in the wild, which is fairly close in meaning to mielensäpahoittaja... although the latter seems to be coined by the author himself.

Upphew · Post by **Upphew** » Tue May 10, 2011 8:29 am

Jukka Aho wrote:You sometimes see the word ammattiloukkaantuja in the wild, which is fairly close in meaning to mielensäpahoittaja... although the latter seems to be coined by the author himself.

Bavarian · Post by **Bavarian** » Tue May 10, 2011 2:09 pm

(OK, so it doesn't quite fit the language point....)

Upphew · Post by **Upphew** » Tue May 10, 2011 2:52 pm

Bavarian wrote:

(OK, so it doesn't quite fit the language point....)

Well, she seems to have paha mieli...

AldenG · Post by **AldenG** » Tue May 10, 2011 6:41 pm

And pako is a short form of pakeneminen (pakenemis-), from pakene/n - paennut - paeta, to flee. So in general it's flight (also escape) in the sense of fleeing, with of course the particular usage already noted for pakonopeus.

It's a lot like meno and tulo, the usual forms of meneminen and tuleminen, from mennä and tulla.

Verbs that lack such a shortened gerund would form compounds as in pakenemisnopeus.

AldenG · Post by **AldenG** » Tue May 10, 2011 7:05 pm

In my opinion, all the Harjunpää books (a series by Matti Yrjänä Joensuu) make good early reading for learners of Finnish. At one time I had read all the ones published to that point and I think they were the first thing I started reading after Sinuhe. The language is plain and without convoluted sentences. (It was much easier than Sinuhe.) It deals mostly with things and events, which leads to the vocabulary being more common and useful.

In a way they're comparable to the Sjöwall and Wahlöö series of Swedish detective novels that gained worldwide popularity in the 60's and 70's. There is some introspection and social commentary, but because Finnish culture is not Swedish culture, one might say the points are less sweeping or grandiose. Reading these books is a way to learn Finnish (after a certain point) and learn about Finland at the same time.

Harju is a geological formulation, a glacially deposited ridge or crest of sorts (I think), and pää is the end of the ridge. So the family name Harjunpää, as so often in Finnish names, refers to a feature of the landscape. Joensuu is a similar name, coming from joki + suu, the mouth of the river (and the name of a Finnish city). Joensuu made his first career as a Finnish cop, so you can draw your own conclusions about the name of the character.

Finland Forum

Find information about moving to, living in and life in Finland