Valtatiet : runoja (Highways : Poetry)

Mika Waltari & Olavi Lauri (real name Olavi Paavolainen) / Sylvi Kunnas cover design & illustrations

Verlag: Otava, Helsingissä, 1928

Beschreibung

Finnish language. Octavo 15 x 19 cm. Weight 205 gr. Wrappers, 64 pp. The book is in Near Fine condition, without any visible defects, losses, remarks and stains. Left edge of back cover and bottom edge of front cover show minor fraying, back cover coated fine paper is slightly soiled, small creaser in the center of front cover, previous owner's signature on the half-title. The most incredible example of Avant-Garde in Finnish books design culture and six full-page Futurist drawings inside by Finnish artist and Illustrator Sylvi Kunnas (1903-1971). This illustrated anthology includes 18 poems by Mika Waltari (1908-1979) and 12 poems by Olavi Paavolainen, writing under the pseudonym Olavi Lauri (1903-1964). "Valtatiet" is characterized as an undeniable high point of Futurist-inspired poetry written in the Finnish language. Poem is a youthful manifest of machine romanticism. The poet speeds through the countries of Europe in his red Fiat car, which explodes into a star over the Sahara Desert. The book is perfectly complemented with illustrations by Sylvi Kunnas depicting urban scenes with electric street lights, a stylish car, and a harbour with a highly visible BAR . "Valtatiet" was originally published by Otava's expense in 1928. Poem was not commercially successful and received mixed reviews that well illustrate the divided Finnish attitudes towards new art at the time. "The presence of koneromantiikka in the book was considered to be so forced, especially in Waltari s poems, that it was accused of having been written only as a programmatic statement, rather than a work of poetic inspiration. The authors were accused of slavishly following Marinetti s instructions without creating anything of their own. One enthusiastic reviewer was inspired to use the Futurist-sounding title of 1,000 words of concrete: about Valtatiet: Personal experiences from Finland s most Modernist poetry collection and had the article printed in a scattered typography surrounded by geometric shapes and isolated words such as antenna, steel, visit. Later poem became popular and was re-edited by the same publisher Otava in 1982. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 70

Bibliografische Details

Titel: Valtatiet : runoja (Highways : Poetry)

Verlag: Otava, Helsingissä

Erscheinungsdatum: 1928

Einband: Soft cover

Zustand: Near Fine

Auflage: 1st Edition