The cornerstone of unity

CULTURE 
37 THE FINNISH LITERATURE SOCIETY
Elias Lönnrot wrote in the minutes of the Finnish Literature Society’s inaugural meeting on 16 February 1831 
that “during their meeting they began to speak of Finnish books, and the Finnish language, and how best they 
could serve literary requirements. The evening concluded that, all in all, it is easier to work together than alone, 
so 
we discussed the need to form a Society...” This practical aim was soon transformed into a means of 
implementing the ideals of the Finnish national consciousness. 
The Enlightenment, Romanticism and Nationalism were all sources of inspiration for the creation of the grand 

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Fennomanian project, which involved reforming the Finnish language, creating literature, documenting folklore, 
writing a history and constructing a Finnish national identity. The project was put into effect at the Finnish 
Literature Society through the invention of neologisms, large dictionary projects, the collection of folklore, 
literature prizes, and the publication of the Kalevala and Kanteletar, historical works, and plays and novels. In 
short, the Society played a critical role in creating opportunities for scholarly activity and popular education in 
modern Finland, without which the country would never have become the modern industrial state and civic 
society that it is today. The reforms thus engendered a society that aimed to guarantee all its members the 
opportunity to gain access to scholarly information and culture 
– as well as political influence. 
The work of the Finnish Literature Society resulted in the creation, documentation and dissemination of 
knowledge and culture that had traditionally been based on memory; the spoken word assumed a literary form. 
This change resulted in society becoming literate, which did not just affect the dissemination and documentation 
of information but equally its creation and the conceptualisation of reality. 
During the 19th century the Society spawned all the major scholarly Finnish language societies and many 
institutions, and it played a role in the birth of the National Theatre, Finnish national business life and capital, and 
the creation of the party system. Although the Society moved in 1890 into its fine residence in the capital and 
was run by an elite group of gentlemen from Helsinki, it created an axis that permeated Finnish society and 
culture and was balanced at the other end by local masters of folklore. 
The Society has changed over the years from being a nation builder to a scholarly deposit of memories. 
During its over 180 years in existence it has enhanced Finnish self-understanding, promoted an awareness of 
Finnish literature in Finland and abroad and published a significant tranche of Finnish fiction, non-fiction and 
scholarly literature. As a cultural organisation, language and identity have served as the ideological stimuli for 
the Society’s activities, but researching the building blocks of language and identity has also been of key 
importance 
– together with a critical examination of the ideals, traditions and historical phenomena that support 
these two concepts. 
The aim of the Finnish Literature Society has been and continues to be to make Finnish culture 
understandable to ourselves as Finns and others. 
Tuomas M. S. Lehtonen 
– Secretary general, Finnish Literature Society