Alastalon salissa
Encyclopedia
Alastalon salissa (1933) is a landmark Finnish novel by Volter Kilpi
. The two-volume, 800-page story covers a period of only six hours, written in a stream-of-consciousness style similar to James Joyce
's Ulysses
.
The central narrative of Alastalon salissa describes a meeting of a group of wealthy men from Kustavi
, Western Finland, who are trying to decide whether to invest in a shipbuilding venture proposed by one of their number, Herman Mattson. The novel's length stems from numerous digressions, internal monologue
s and a detailed accounting of each character's thought processes. In one famous scene, a character's journey to the mantelpiece to fetch a pipe is told in over seventy pages.
Volter Kilpi
Volter Kilpi, born Volter Ericsson, was a Finnish author best known for his two-volume novel Alastalon salissa often considered one of the best written in the Finnish language.-External links:...
. The two-volume, 800-page story covers a period of only six hours, written in a stream-of-consciousness style similar to James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
's Ulysses
Ulysses (novel)
Ulysses is a novel by the Irish author James Joyce. It was first serialised in parts in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920, and then published in its entirety by Sylvia Beach on 2 February 1922, in Paris. One of the most important works of Modernist literature,...
.
The central narrative of Alastalon salissa describes a meeting of a group of wealthy men from Kustavi
Kustavi
Kustavi is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Finland Proper region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is ....
, Western Finland, who are trying to decide whether to invest in a shipbuilding venture proposed by one of their number, Herman Mattson. The novel's length stems from numerous digressions, internal monologue
Internal monologue
Internal monologue, also known as inner voice, internal speech, or verbal stream of consciousness is thinking in words. It also refers to the semi-constant internal monologue one has with oneself at a conscious or semi-conscious level....
s and a detailed accounting of each character's thought processes. In one famous scene, a character's journey to the mantelpiece to fetch a pipe is told in over seventy pages.