“Siitäpä runoilijan kehoitus, että sinä, onnellinen Itävalta, hanki valtakuntia Venuksen avulla, silloin kun muut saavat valloitella niitä Mars-jumalan keinoilla.” (Eino Railo: Kolme miestä matkalla, 1921)

The red planet has inspired and interested artists through the ages. What kinds of descriptions and interpretations of Mars can be found in Finnish literary history? In which works of fiction and in what contexts is the planet Mars referred to?

The “Atlas of Finnish Literature 1870–1940” project, which operates at the Department of Cultural History at the University of Turku and is funded by the Alfred Kordelin Foundation, aims to draw a map of the geography of fiction. Based on the project’s database, working group members Jasmine Westerlund (PhD) and Jenni Turunlahti (BSc) present a compilation and interpretations of mentions of Mars in Finnish fiction of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Aboagora Symposium, 30 August 2024, Sibelius Museum, Turku.