Literature - thisisFINLAND

Finnish film industry features carbon-neutral production

Reduction of carbon emissions is trending in the film industry. We visit an island off the coast of Finland to see what it takes to make a carbon-neutral movie.

Arts & culture Literature

“The world was very large in those days”: A brief guide to Finland’s Moomin books

Here’s our concise list of the Moomin novels, by Tove Jansson, perhaps Finland’s most famous writer and artist. Relive the adventures, or, if you’ve only seen the comic strips, discover the original books. Plus: A slideshow takes you inside the National Museum’s Moomin exhibition.

Arts & culture Film

Filming the unusual story of Moomin creator Tove Jansson in Helsinki

We speak to director Zaida Bergroth about a film that shows viewers a new side of Finland’s Tove Jansson, the much-loved writer and artist who created the world-famous Moomin stories.

Library books borrowed per person per year

Arts & culture Design

How Finland’s Moomins moved from beloved books to coveted mugs

The first Moomin book, in 1945, introduced a cast of characters that gained international fame. We talk to the designer behind one of the most unusual Moomin success stories: the mugs that you can find in almost every Finnish household. They’re so popular that someone even wrote a master’s thesis about them.

Arts & culture Webpick

Finnish theatre tells the story of humankind

In a breathtaking feat of dramatic construction, a group of Helsinki-based theatre-makers condenses hundreds of thousands of years of human history into just 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Arts & culture Literature

Finland’s first feminist: Why Minna Canth’s writing is still important

We speak to author Minna Rytisalo about how the work of playwright, author and social activist Minna Canth remains relevant today.

Arts & culture Literature

13 contemporary Finnish authors you should be reading

We asked the pros for recommendations about contemporary Finnish authors. Here they are, each with a book title to get you started.

Arts & culture Art

Modern stories of Finland meet ancient Kalevala via Gallen-Kallela

Just outside Helsinki, a show at the Gallen-Kallela Museum ties together Finnish epic poetry, local storytelling in many languages, and rarely seen artworks by a famous painter.