Finns ban poetry reading in Russia

[signatory]

http://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/21014/


Finns ban poetry reading in Russia

Aug 06, 2008
In cooperation with BNS

TALLINN - The Finnish consulate-general in St. Petersburg has said no to the attendance of Sofi Oksanen, a Finnish writer of Estonian background, to a poetry evening in St. Petersburg.


The consulate-general’s reasoning was that her new novel is critical of the Soviet Union, the Finnish daily paper Helsingin Sanomatreported.

Jukka Mallinen, chairman of the Finnish PEN poetry club, said the consulate-general in St. Petersburginformed him on Monday that they did not want to see Oksanen at the evening as her presence could irritate Russia.

Oksanen should have taken part in the Finnish-Russian poetry evening in Russiaclaims PEN.

The biggest supporter of the event is the Finnish consulate-general in St. Petersburg. Mallinen said that Oksanen was crossed out from the list of participants at the request of the financier.

Leena Liski, a consul at the Finnish consulate-general in St. Petersburg, told Helsingin Sanomat that Sofi Oksanen was not a poet and the St. Petersburgpoetry evening was intended for poets.

Liski said the consulate had not yet received an official list of the performers, and talks over the participants were still underway.

The Finnish Foreign Ministry didn't wish to comment on the issue.

In Oksanen's opinion she was crossed out from the list of performers because of poor relations between Estonia and Russia, as she had been publicly outspoken about life in Estoniaduring the Soviet period.

Oksanen pointed out that in Mallinen's opinion she was suited to present poetry in prose at the poetry evening in St. Petersburg.

The writer said she had never had met similar obstacles before.

"Does this mean that this is the new Finnish foreign policy line?" Oksanen asked.

Sofi Oksanen's new novel, Purification, treats life in Estonia critically during the Soviet period.

[Somalimafia]

What the mother****?

Our pussy-ass government at it again! Lets not read poems, cos the Russians might get offended.

[asch]

huh?
her attendance at poetry evening means that she already have auditory there. so no point to ban her.

ridiculous.

[Atlantic Friend]

The bomber gap.
The missile gap.
And now...the sonnet gap.

"The Russian Prime Minister has announced this morning that Russia was deploying highly mobile sonnets, each equipped with multiple-reentry verses. He stated that these sonnets were pointed at various targets in Finland, and that he'd not hesitate to have them read by Alexander Buinov, dressed as a paratrooper unless Finlands stops its warmongering cultural event"

[Hilbert]

What the fvck...

[Kaapeli]

There's an ongoing negotian about Russian lumbers tolls that is absolutely critical to the Finnish paper industry. The politicians want to avoid any potential scandals that could affect the negotiations.

[AlexMartin2]

What a strange world.... Poets & Lumber mills, novels & paper industry.

We must immediately shoot yourselves. Or it would be too late :)

[Rynnäkkökivääri]

The title is a little misleading, they only banned one poet. And it seems to be an EU wide thing to ban things that could piss people off. For example, the album Manifest was banned in some states because it was supposedly had Nazi influences. It's just more bull**** PC, and I wouldn't be surprised if there was an EU influence involved.

[Kaapeli]

The banned writer.
http://www.wsoy.fi/img/authors/oksanen_sofi.jpg

[SBL]

^Gross .

[Tykimies]

This is a great example of Finlandisation! I would blame more foreign ministry and it's clercks for overreacting than our present government. Afterall foreign ministry is filled with social democrats! If I recall correct, Sofi Oksanen spent her early childhood in soviet Estonia so therefore she's been very straight spoken about soviet times in Estonia! What comes to lumber trade and it's toll's, we've allready lost it so therefore there's no reason to be ridicously over sensitive! Ceo's in pulp industry blew it! How come they couldn't see that ruskies wouldn't be selling us lumber under the market price forever? Ruskies ain't stupid!

[Kaapeli]

The issue is not the market prices. The market prices are ok.
The problem is extortionate wood tolls on the border. It's basicly banning any even remotely profitable wood exports to the EU.
If Russia was a member of the WTO they would propably step in.

[Cedan]

So whats up with everybody in Russia loving Alexander Solzhenitsyn who was very critical of life in soviet russia, but bans a poet criticizing life in a soviet satellite?

[Rynnäkkökivääri]

The issue is not the market prices. The market prices are ok.
The problem is extortionate wood tolls on the border. It's basicly banning any even remotely profitable wood exports to the EU.
If Russia was a member of the WTO they would propably step in.
Wasn't there something about raising the tolls on Russian trucks to offset the new taxes?

[IronFinn]

Seems the"old guard" aka taistolaiset is still strong from the soviet times... :roll:

[Tykimies]

The issue is not the market prices. The market prices are ok.
The problem is extortionate wood tolls on the border. It's basicly banning any even remotely profitable wood exports to the EU.
If Russia was a member of the WTO they would propably step in.

So why aren't finnish forestowners selling enough wood? One reason is our domestic overcapacity that would require way more wood than our country can provide. Proposed wood tolls are extortionate, but I wouldn't blame russians for doing so 'cause it doesn't make sense selling profitable raw material cheaply! Totally other issue is why finnish companies don't invest in Russia. I guess they have very reasonable doubt's in operating in Russia! Basicly the situation is somehow the same as before the great recession in nineties, the companies(that traded with soviet) couldn't see it coming that someday milking the cashcow would end!

[Wall]

Seems the"old guard" aka taistolaiset is still strong from the soviet times... :roll:
Of course. Their HQ is eduskuntatalo.
Isnt Stefan Wallin 'investigating' this issue?

[Tykimies]

So whats up with everybody in Russia loving Alexander Solzhenitsyn who was very critical of life in soviet russia, but bans a poet criticizing life in a soviet satellite?


It's not that the russians banned the poet or granted her as a persona non grata, it was the finnish clerks in St. Petersburg consulate that didn't wan't her to participate!

[mannelig]

It's not that the russians banned the poet or granted her as a persona non grata, it was the finnish clerks in St. Petersburg consulate that didn't wan't her to participate!

Yep. They didn`t invite her, but she wanted so so much :-)
But she doesen`t write poems, why should she be there?

[AlexMartin2]

So whats up with everybody in Russia loving Alexander Solzhenitsyn who was very critical of life in soviet russia, but bans a poet criticizing life in a soviet satellite?

Actually most of people hate him and disagree with official position of "love him".

[pacifist]

She's quite odd looking.

http://www.hs.fi/kuvat/iso_webkuva/1101980868307.jpeg

[pacifist]

Actually most of people hate him and disagree with official position of "love him".

Because his writings make your history look bad?

Those Who Forget History Are Doomed to Repeat It.

[CPL Trevoga]

Instead of fighting NATO advance, they're banning writers. I guess what they mean by "asymmetrical" response.

[wwcollect]

http://static.yle.fi/linnanjuhlat/2007/galleria/7/sofi_oksanen.jpg


Sofi Oksanen (born January 7, 1977) is a popular contemporary writer in Finland. She was born in Jyväskylä, of Estonian heritage.
Oksanen first became well-known for her novel Stalinin lehmät (2003). She is a self-identified bi******[1] and has suffered from eating disorders.[2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofi_Oksanen

[PeterRJG]

http://static.yle.fi/linnanjuhlat/2007/galleria/7/sofi_oksanen.jpg


Sofi Oksanen (born January 7, 1977) is a popular contemporary writer in Finland. She was born in Jyväskylä, of Estonian heritage.
Oksanen first became well-known for her novel Stalinin lehmät (2003). She is a self-identified bi******[1] and has suffered from eating disorders.[2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofi_Oksanen

Who's the guy with the emo hairdo? She ain't that bad. I like weird women, the world needs more of them. But less men with emo hairdos.

[Violet Fashion by Mindy]

A poet who looks gothic.

so cliche.

[PeterRJG]

A poet who looks gothic.

so cliche.

Yeah, shame on them. Cross-dress instead, especially in PVC/vinyl clothing. Now, *that's* ground-breaking stuff! p-)