Books from Finland - A literary journal of writing from and about Finland.

Talvisota muiden silmin. Maailman lehdistö ja Suomen taistelu
[The Winter War through the eyes of others. The world press and Finland’s battle]
Toim. [Edited by] Antero Holmila
Jyväskylä: Atena, 2009. 237 p., ill.
ISBN 978-951-796-589-7
€ 36, hardback

November 2009 marks the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Winter War in Finland. Based on extensive archival research, this book traces discourses (media, private diaries) about this war in various countries: the Soviet Union, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Greece, Britain, France, Hungary, Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom. Japan’s favourable image of Finland arose from its own vehement opposition to Communism. Under the right-wing dictatorship in Greece, the Winter War provided an opportunity to emphasise the importance of a unified nation to safeguard the existence of its people. Britain expressed both moral support for Finland and doubt concerning the truth of news reports. In Finland, the view was repeatedly put forward that the Winter War would unite global opinion behind Finland against the Soviet Union. The essays in this book show that attitudes were varied, with a wide range of critical voices.