Friday Bliss #144 - Visit to a Historical Setting

Eeva Joenpelto (17 June 1921 - 28 January 2004) was an award-winning Finnish novelist. She is especially remembered for the Lohja tetralogy which depicted Finnish life for many decades starting from the early years of 1900. Her female characters are usually strong and males weak. She was a mega-celebrity of her time, a grande dame of the Finnish literature and an influencer of cultural life. Joenpelto wrote 26 novels most of them best sellers. She was a tall, blond and beautiful woman - and proud of her roots in Sammatti. In personal life she encountered many adversities: a painful divorce and deaths of both of her sons. Here sitting next to president Urho Kekkonen on Independence Day 1958.

The Wsoy Literary Foundation organized a rare visit for book bloggers to Eeva Joenpelto’s home in Sammatti - the house is not open to the public. It was great to walk there in the scenery of Joenpelto and listen to the wings of history. I was especially fascinated by the big living room, in Finnish ’tupa’ and its great coloring: the window frames were deep blue-green, as was the half panel. 

Joenpelto built the house in the 1970s according to traditional Finnish style. She wanted to boast a bit: the house is impressive 32 m long and it was the biggest house in the neighbourhood. Joenpelto bequeathed it as a writer’s residence for the Wsoy Literary Foundation. Eeva Joenpelto would have celebrated her 100th birthday yesterday, and that's why the social media has had a reading challenge - #joenpelto100.

I read a novel Ei ryppyä, ei tahraa that might be translated as No wrinkle, no stain,

meaning that the mother of the family was very proud and wanted to hide the family hell.

The novel stretches over many decades and tells about a pharmacis who is

narcissist and tortures emotionally his wife and children - and finally destroys himself.

The living room / ’tupa’ was dim, so the pictures are dark too.

Photo Marile, 1001 books and a small life

A Joenpelto-themed exhibition will open in Lohja Library in July - 'Return to the roots’. 

Joenpelto’s house is not open to public but interests people very much.

Now a few sightseeing tours are planned during the Lohja Housing Fair in July.

It was a great afternoon and so wonderful to see blogger colleagues 

for a long, long time!

Thank you for all the lovely comments you leave week after week at Friday Bliss.

Wishing you all a bright & sunny weekend!

❤︎❤︎❤︎

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