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Addition: Finnish culture
Finland is bound by [[Sweden]] in the West, [[Norway]] in the North, [[Russia]] in the East,[[ Estonia]] in the South and the [[Gulf of Finland]] is the West.
Finland is bound by [[Sweden]] in the West, [[Norway]] in the North, [[Russia]] in the East,[[ Estonia]] in the South and the [[Gulf of Finland]] is the West.
== Culture ==
Finnish people are known for their love of nature. Nature is prominent in the works of Finnish artists, such as [[Jean Sibelius]], [[Aki Kaurismäki]], [[Alvar Aalto]], [[Mika Häkkinen]], and more recently, the renowned [[Christian hip-hop]] artist [[Ruudolf]]. In the sculptures of [[Esteri S. Kookkolankokko]], Finland's first female sculptor, the motifs of birth, death, and resurrection are expressed by means of nature. As per the Finnish tradition of "village idiots," a drunken man is depicted sleeping in the shady forest, surrounded by the tolling of the bells, in the iconic painting "Kyläjuoppo" by [[Kalle Galleen-Aksela]]. In the [[music]] of Jean Sibelius, we hear the faint trinkling of dew on the roof of the village church in his native [[Järvenpää]]. The above modest selection of Finnish works already demonstrates the deep faith of this nation and their love of Christian iconography.
The great masters of Finnish literature include [[Mika Waltari]], [[Väinö Linna]], [[Viktor Runeberg]], [[Hjalmar Söderberg]], and [[Rosa Liksom]]. Finland is a bi-lingual country and has produced its literary heritage in both Finnish and Swedish. Books in Russian are, sadly, still marginilized and do not receive government funding. This has been a great controversy in the country since Finland first fought the [[Soviet Union]] in 1917. The beloved Moomintrolls -- small reptilian creatures living a bourgeois life in the imaginary valley of Ankkalinna -- were created by the writer and graphic artist Tove Jansson, who later fled the Communist uprising into solitude on her island Ankkalampi (or Ankdammen) in the Gulf of Finland.
Perhaps the most controversial Finnish cultural figure of recent years is the dramatist and playwright Jouko Turkka. His highly political and polemic works include his recent play "Nokia," about the [[homosexual love affair]] between an alcoholic bum and the [[CEO]] of [[Nokia]], [[Jorma Ollila]]. The play created wide spread disgust in the common man with its critique of [[free market economy]] and praise of the [[homosexual life-style]]. Even though it was defended by far left-wing homosexual activists, it was widely condemned by the press and the political [[intelligentsia]]. Another well-known playwright, Minna Kant, created the tragic female character of Pitsi-Liina Annnastina, and many other tragic female characters, such as Hanna, and The Wife of Professor Hellman. Her works mainly deal with issues related to women's emancipation and social justice, from a firmly conservative standpoint.
[[Category:Finland]]
[[Category:Finland]]