Authors

Discussion

The conference proposal is based on a doctoral dissertation currently being completed in Finnish at the University of Eastern Finland, titled ‘The Finnish Reception of Maxim Gorky’s Literary Works, 1900-1939’. The research falls within the fields of literary studies, reception studies and Russian literature, examining the connections between Maxim Gorky and Finland, as well as the Finnish reception of his literary works in Finland, the United States, and the Soviet Union.

The doctoral dissertation on ‘The Finnish reception of Maxim Gorky’s Literary Works, 1900-1939’ introduces new perspectives to the transnational study of Russian literature. The cultural status that Gorky received in the Finnish art world reflects the breaking of conventional national boundaries, as well as the reception and valuation of his literary work reflects not only the Finnish reception of socialist realism but also the transnational nature of socialist realism itself. The dissertation is the first extensive investigation into Maxim Gorky’s influence within the Finnish cultural sphere.

The study of literary relation between Finland and Russia has gained prominence in Finland in the 2020s because of changing foreign relations between Finland and Russia. Finnish Russian literary relations have been investigated in the 2024 research project ‘Henkinen muuri’ at the University of Helsinki, as well as in the 2025 project ‘Liikkuvat tekstit, liikkuvat naiset’ at the University of Turku.

The study is based on the idea of the transnational nature of literature and extensive reception, expanding the understanding of the influence of Russian literature beyond Slavic cultural spheres. Drawing from the concepts of Pierre Bourdieu’s literary field and Hans Robert Jauss’s horizon of expectations, the research analyses archival sources that have been systematically collected from the Finnish archives by using recently developed digital methodologies of archival research in order to trace Gorky’s stays in Finland, his relationships with Finnish cultural figures, and the transmission of his literary works into Finnish-speaking communities into the United States and the Soviet Union.

HUTTUNEN, TOMI EdS. ed.  2024: Henkinen muuri. Suomalaisvenäläiset kirjallisuussuhteet 1800–1930. Helsinki: SKS.

ROSENHOLM, ARJA EdS.; PARENTE-CAPKOVA, VIOLA EdS.; LAUNIS; KATI EdS. 2025: Liikkuvat tekstit, liikkuvat naiset. Naiset Suomen, Venäjän ja Neuvostoliiton kirjallisella kentällä. SKS: Helsinki.