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Arvid Järnefelt (1861-1931) - pseudonym Arvi Rauta, published also novels under the name Hilja Kahila |
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Finnish writer, who was deeply influenced by Leo Tolstoy's Christian thinking. Arvid Järnefelt believed in the brotherhood of man and that people must reject unnecessary luxury and live simply. He also met Tolstoy in Moscow and translated several of his works into Finnish, including the novel Ylösnousemus (Resurrection). Järnefelt was born into a cultured and well-established Russian-Finnish family. In his thirties, he abandoned a promising juridical career, and began to live the life of a shoemaker and farmer. "Oikea taiteilija ei kysy koskaan mitä hyötyä hänen teoksensa tulee tuottamaan. Hän tekee yksinomaan taiteen vuoksi, taiteellisen totuuden vuoksi; siksi että hänen pitää niin tehdä; siksi että hänellä ei ole joku yksityinen hyödynkäsite silmiensä edessä, vaan että hänellä on sisällinen kutsumus, sisällinen tarve." (Isänmaa by Arvid Järnefelt, Helsingissä: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava, 1893, p. 108) Arvid
Järnefelt was born in Pulkova in Russia. He was the
second son of the topographer, general, and senator August
Alexander Järnefelt, and Elisabeth Clodt von Jürgensburg, the daughter
of a baron, who was one of the best Russian sculptors of the time. At
home Järnefelt's parents spoke first Russian, but after settling in
Helsinki, they tended to speak Finnish to their children. Elisabeth
encouraged her childrens' artistic aspirations. Arvid's brother Armas
(1869-1958) gained fame as a composer and conductor, and his younger
brother Eero (1863-1937) was a painter; their sister Aino married the
composer Jean Sibelius. After Elisabeth had given birth to nine
children, her husband decided they would not sleep together any more. During the period when Alexander Järnefelt served as governor of
Kuopio, Elisabeth became acquainted with Minna
Canth there. They kept contact even though Alexander did not
approve. Cath's radical play Työmiehen vaimo (1885, The
Workman's Wife) made her a
persona non grata at the governor's mansion. In the 1880s Arvid Järnefelt joined the Fennoman
movement. The Fennomans sought to strenghten the status of the Finnish language and Finland's autonomy from Russia. In 1884 Järnefelt married Emilia
Fredrika Parviainen, they had five children, one of whom, Anna
Katarina, died young, and was buried in Rantala. Their first child,
Eero, was born in 1888; he became an ambassador in the diplomatic
service. The early education of the children, who led relatively
ordinary lives, was done by Järnefelt himself. The apparently
autobiographical short story '"Hiljaisuudessa" (Eräs muisto)'
(Without ceremonies), tells of the burial of his daughter,
who had not been baptized – Järnefelt did not allow his children to be
baptized in the Holy Spirit. Eventually she is buried on their
own ground, while birds are singing in the trees all around: "Kun me
sitten loimme haudan jälleen umpeen, viserteli lähioksalla pieni lintu
talven syvässä hiljaisuudessa. Ja hiljaisuus oli varmaan vielä syvempi
kuin minkä rovasti olisi osannut hautauksellemme antaa . . ." ("and that
was a far deeper silence than the church could ever have provided . . .") (Hiljaisuudessa: kokoelma kertomuksia ja näytelmiä by Arvid Järnefelt, Helsinki: Otava, 1913, p. 88) Considering sexual desires as evil, Järnefelt stopped having sex with his wife in his 40s, and thenceforth masturbated occasionally. Noteworthy, Tolstoy's ideal was celibacy, but the central character in The Kreutzer Sonatado practices mastubating: "I was not a seducer, I had no unnatural tastes, I did not make debauchery the principal object of my life; but I found pleasure within the limits of society's rules, and innocently believed myself a profoundly moral being." (The Kreutzer Sonata by Count Leo Tolstoi, translated by Benj. R. Tucker, Boston, Mass.: Benj. A. Tucker, 1890, p. 21) Järnefelt also refused to pay his taxes, donated a library for a local workers' union, and gave readings. Järnefelt studied psychology in Leipzig and after graduating in 1885 from the University of Helsinki, he studied Russian language at the University of Moscow from 1886 to 1888. In 1890 he became a lawyer and worked from 1891 in civil service, first in Helsinki and then in judicial duties in Ostrobothnia in the western part of Finland. The turning point in Järnefelt's life was Tolstoy's lesser known book on the Christian faith (in Finnish Kristuksen opin henki), which he read at the age of thirty. Despite his father's opposition, Järnefelt abandoned his promising career at a court of appeals, bought a farm called Rantala from Lohja in 1896, and became a full-time writer, devoting himself into spreading the ideas of Tolstoy. Trying support his family with manual labor he learned the skills of a shoemaker and blacksmith. Before publishing Isänmaa (1893, Fatherland), his first novel, Järnefelt had written two short stories under the influence of Aleksis Kivi. These works, 'Kertomus Elias-äijästä' and 'Kokelas', were published in the magazine Valvoja in 1883-84. Many of Järnefelt's writings were autobiographical. In the
story Heräämiseni (1894,
My Awakening) Järnefelt depicted how
he adopted Tolstoyanism as his guide in life. In a letter to Järnefelt,
Tolstoy talks, half-seriously, about his plan to escape from his
burdens to Finland. After Nikolay Bobrikov,
the Governor-General of Finland, presented the Finnish diet with the
ukase of Czar Nicholas II, known as the "February Manifesto", Järnefelt
travelled in 1899 to Russia with his brother Eero to put Finland's
case before the author. The long-awaited meeting took place on the
morning of April 17. Tolstoy's advice was to use passive resistance
against oppression. The look in his eyes was sad. "Silmissä on
syvä, surunvoittoinen ilme. Katse tunkeutuu ehdottomasti sydämmeen, on
vilpitön, melkein lapsellinen, ja herättää keskinäisen ymmärryksen,
joka heti vapauttaa mielen kaikesta ujoudesta." (Päiväkirja matkaltani Venäjällä ja käynti Leo Tolstoin luona keväällä by Arvid Järnefelt, Helsingissä: Otava, 1899, p. 62) Järnefelt adopted Tolstoy's views of the necessity of land
reform. Tolstoy's How Much Does a Man Need? had appeared in
1886 and Järnefelt's writing 'Isännät ja torpparit' ('masters and
tenant farmers') in 1894. Maaemon lapsia (1905, Children of Mother Earth) dealt with the
agricultural problem from the point of view of three characters; a poor
tenant, a wealthy landowner, and a radical young aristocrat, who was
Järnefelt's self-portrait. Concealed behind the allegorical veil of the
story is the contemporary political debate on the relations between
Finland and Russia. In the pamphlet Maa kuuluu kaikille! (1907, The Land Belongs to Everyone), written during the crofters' strike of Laukko in 1906-1907, Järnefelt's ideals of equality came close to socialism, but his views also associated with the concept of mother earth. "Ensimmäinen laki, mikä tämän vuoren ylimmältä huipulta meidän tietoisuuteemme painautuu, on että maa on ihmisten yhteinen emo, jonka utareihin jokaisella ihmisellä on syntyperäinen oikeus. Ylimmältä huipulta emme siis voi ollenkaan selittää mistä syntyy erotus köyhien ja rikkaiden välillä . . . " (Maa kuuluu kaikille! Matkoiltani Laukon lakkomailla by Arvid Järnefelt, Helsinki: Vihtori Kosonen, 1907, p. 4) In 1899 Järnefelt participated in the founding of the newspaper Päivälehti (later Helsingin Sanomat). It gained soon fame as a promoter of liberal ideas. The newspaper had in the early 1900s several authors in its staff, among them the poet Eino Leino. During this period Järnefelt was closely associated with the writer Juhani Aho and the journalist Eero Erkko, who held several ministerial posts from 1918 to 1920 after Finland declared independence. Järnefelt's Tiitus (or Orjan oppi, 1902) gained a success on the stage, possibly because the audience wrongly assumed that the author was criticizing the Russian Emperor in the character of Titus. Veneh'ojalaiset I-II (1909, The Family Veneh'oja), aimed at unjust laws, was set in Helsinki, in the world of slums, half-criminals, and Russian revolutionaries. Following Tolstoy's pacifist politics, Järnefelt asserted in the novel that you don't destroy the evil of the system by violent revolution but recommended passive resistance. The book prompted a public protest from a formed Russian officer who had sided with revolutionaries and later fled to the United States. The commercially successful novel Onnelliset (1916, The Happy Ones) came out under the feminine pseudonym Hilja Kahila. Its front cover portrayed a naked woman stepping into water. In 1917 Järnefelt delivered a series of sermons, in which he attacked dogmatic religious beliefs. Due to his unconventional views about love for one's neighbour, he was arrested for a short time. Järnefelt refused to appear in court because of his belief, that the law is only a tool for the ruling class. Conservative religious circles castigated Järnefelt as an "anarchist of the Tolstoy type". The Russian Revolution and Finnish Civil War affected deeply Järnefelt's pacifistic thoughts. After years of silence as a novelist he wrote Greeta ja hänen Herransa (1925, Greta and Her Lord), which underlined the author's spiritual seeking. In the story an elderly Swedish-speaking woman, Greeta, tries to come to terms with the son's suicide. In her difficulties, she turns to her lord, who is not actually the God of the official church. Arvid Järnefelt died on December 27, 1931 in Helsinki, but was buried in the garden of Rantala. Although his importance as a writer has been acknowledged, he never became popular. Moreover, Tolstoy's ideas never had a large following in Finland. Järnefelt's works dealt mostly with social and religious thoughts of the late 19th century and problems of educated people. Isänmaa and Veneh'ojalaiset were reprinted by Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura (Finnish Literature Society) in the late 1990s. Greeta ja hänen herransa was made into a talking book in 1988. The 6th edition of Vanhempieni romaani (1928-1930, A Novel about My Parents), a biographical trilogy, was published in 1991. Järnefelt's best known novel is perhaps the patriotic Isänmaa (The Fatherland), which contributed to the national self-awareness in its own way.
One of the characters demands that all the Swedish-speakers must
leave Finland. The protagonist, Heikki Vuorela, is a student who is
carried away by national awakening. He had moved from the country to a
city and becomes an advocate of new political ideas. However, at the
same time Heikki forgets his agrarian roots. After his father's death
he gives up his share in the farm, but believes that he has gained now
more stronger vision of his country. In Veljekset (1900, The Brothers) Järnefelt developed further his psychological portrayal of
educated people. The central characters, Johannes, Henrik, Gabriel and
Uuno, are sons of a priest, and through their choices Henrik comes
closest to the author himself in his search for meaning in life, but he
has also connections to Heikki from Isänmaa. At one point the
noble idlers casually plan a gang-rape. Helsinki is featured as a cold, depressing place. The symbolist drama Kuolema (1903, Death) – the subject was very popular among fin de siècle writers and artists – took influences from Maurice
Maeterlinck. Järnefelt's brother-in-law, Jean Sibelius, composed
the famous
'Valse Triste' as part of the incidental music for the play in the upper gallery of the Hotel Kämp. He had a heavy cold. (Sun Forest Lake: The Symphonies & Tone Poems of Jean Sibelius by David Vernon, Edinburgh: Candle Row Press, 2024, p. 191) Kuolema
premiered at the Finnish National Theatre in Helsinki on 2 December
1903; Sibelius himself conducted the performance. Not long after
Sibelius's death Järnefelt's brother Armas was asked in a radio
interview what he thought of Sibelius as a conductor. "Well, let's say
he was better as a composer," he replied. Sibelius later reworked the
sad walz tune. When it was published in 1904 it achieved worldwide
acclaim. The stage production was
revived at the National Theatre in 1911. For this revised play Sibelius
composed two additional new pieces, 'Valse romantique' and
'Canzonetta'. Vanhempieni
romaani, Järnefelt's fictionalized account
of
his gifted but difficult parents, depicts
the new Finnish intelligentsia of the 1880s and 1890s. The book
revealed Juhani Aho's fascination with Järnefelt's mother, Elisabeth,
and his later love for the daughter of the family, Aino. Vanhempieni
romaani
was translated into Swedish in 1989. The letter of Armas, Eero, Arvid
and Kasper Järnefelt and Aino Sibelius to Elisabet were published in
2014. For further reading: Suomalaisia kirjailijoita: XX vuosisadan alussa by Kaarlo Rafael Koskimies (1927); 'Arvid Järnefelt,' in Aleksis Kivestä Saima Harmajaan: suomalaisten kirjailijain elämäkertoja, edited by Albin Ahonen, Martti Haavio, V.I. Mikkonen (1943); Arvid Järnefelt ja hänen lähimaailmansa by Pekka Häkli (1955); Tolstoilaisuus Suomessa: aatehistoriallinen tutkimus by Armo Nokkala (1958); 'Arvid Järnefeltin psykologisesta taiteesta' by Lauri Viljanen, in Lyyrillinen minä (1959); A History of Finnish Literature by Jaakko Ahokas (1973); 'Arvid Järnefeltin tie kirjailijaksi', in Orfeus nukkuu: tutkielmia kirjallisuudesta by Annamari Sarajas (1980); 'Arvid Järnefelt' by Tapio Kopponen, foreword in Arvid Järnefelt I: Kodin suuret klassikot (1986); 'Sata vuottako aikaansa edellä?' by Juhani Niemi, foreword in Veljekset by Arvid Järnefelt (2002); Arvid Järnefelt: Kirjailija ajassa ja ikuisuudessa by Juhani Niemi (2005); Moved by the City: Experiences of Helsinki in Finnish Prose Fiction 1889–1941 by Lieven Ameel (2013); Rakas äitini!: Armas, Eero, Arvid ja Kasper Järnefeltin sekä Aino Sibeliuksen kirjeitä äidilleen Elisabeth Järnefeltille 1879-1928, ed. by SuviSirkku Talas (2014); 'Arvid Järnefelt ja pasifistinen vaihtoehto,' in Jos tahdot rauhaa, edited by Elias Krohn & Katariina Kajannes (2023) - Other writers closely associated with Lohja: Eeva Joenpelto, Tytti Parras, Sirkka Turkka. - See also: City Library of Lohja. Selected works:
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