Lehtinovelli tiellä taiteeksi : Paavo Fossin kirjailijakuva

Abstract

This dissertation is a study of the authorial image of Paavo Fossi (1904–1979) who between 1932 and 1960 had nearly 200 short stories published in periodicals. Since all but two of the stories were initially published in newspapers and magazines, mainly in general interest and family ones, I have discussed them as newspaper short stories. The study shows how the tastes and topics prevalent in the newspaper short stories of the era influenced Fossi. Since periodicals were commonly seen as light entertainment, the question of demarcation between art and entertainment could not be avoided. The medium affects the critical response of works published as books. Since the 1980s, authorial image has been discussed in relation to the physical author, textual authorship, authorial persona, and the dead author. Studies have shown that authorial image is heavily dependent on the approach chosen by the researcher, which means that the same author can have different authorial images. Hence, I have broadened my approach by using triangulation as a method and approaching the subject from multiple perspectives. I will approach Fossi’s authorial image from a traditional biographical or, more accurately, contextual point of view; analyse the effect of the medium and the publishing platform; conduct a narratological and intertextual reading; and finally analyse the reception of his works. I will combine the results into an authorial image of Fossi. The authorial image I have drawn is largely a textual and institutional creation. Foss is a multifaceted author: a humourist, a recycler of folkloric models, even a nar-rative innovator. Even in the 1950s, Fossi’s writings still carry echoes of the 1930s literary traditions. But as a thinker he turns out to be a timeless humanist whose work speaks to the contemporary reader. Intertextual analysis reveals connections to Maria Jotuni, Hella Wuolijoki, and early Finnish cinema. But the most important parallel is Pentti Haanpää, although question about the relationship remain largely unanswered. The most problematic aspect of the authorial image is Fossi’s decision to stop writing despite winning a major short story award. I argue that this had to do with the critic Toini Havu and her infamous quarrel with Väinö Linna on the pages of Helsingin Sanomat, the so-called Linna War. I seek to analyse how the change in literary modes of expression in the 1950s touched an individual author. The study also reveals the need for further research on Finnish newspaper short stories.