Novel
Ystävän muotokuva
Not translated into English
Pentti Holappa · 1998
Synopsis
In the grey Finland of the post-war years, a young man who dreams of writing, and who bears the author's first name, meets, during his student days, the painter Asser Vaho, a radiant seducer. Their friendship becomes a passionate, physical love, which the book describes without euphemism. They share an apartment, poverty, then Paris and the beginnings of their art; the narrative moves from one period to another and returns to the present of the writing, when the bond with Vaho has broken. It is the portrait of a friend, and also that of the one who writes.
Context
Published by Werner Söderström in 1998, the book was a critical success. Its author presented it as a courageous book but not as a confession, having always lived openly. An autofiction drawn from memories, it combines with the love story a long reflection on friendship and artistic creation. It was translated into French as early as 2000, by Léa de Chalvron and Gabriel Rebourcet, then into German in 2002 by Stefan Moster, the German publisher presenting it as its author's masterwork.
Who it is for
Nearly five hundred pages, in Finnish, readable in French. Nothing to know beforehand; sensuality is spoken of frankly.
Prizes and reception
Finlandia Prize 1998, awarded to a novel that caused a sensation by the frankness with which it spoke of love between two men.