„Świece zapalone w instytucji ogłupiałego życia”. Impulsy modernizmu fińsko-szwedzkiego (rekonesans)

Abstract

The text discusses Finnish and Swedish modernism – an original phenomenon on the map of European literature, which has permanently changed Finnish and Swedish poetry. It was noted that the leading representatives of the movement: Hagar Olsson, Edith Södergran, Elmer Diktonius, Gunnar Björling, Rabbe Enckell, and Henry Parland discovered a new perception of literature and its duties.. The difficult times when their debuts were published only strengthened their artistic enthusiasm and innovative approaches to poetry. The article presents their common feature: social reflection with a noticeable philosophical tinge, and eager humanist refl ection integrated with a reflective attitude towards art. Thanks to this symptomatic property, they never became, as it often happens in the history of literature, an “ephemeral”, transient phenomenon. They did not succumb to fashion, demands, or schools; they created their own discourse, method, individual approach, and language in which they conveyed the primary truths.