Performative Session: To other worlds, to the stars of Mars
The stretches of Finnish fiction from Earth to Mars at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries (“Atlas of Finnish Literature 1870–1940” project)

Jasmine Westerlund, PhD, literary arts educator and author
Jenni Turunlahti, author, literary arts educator

“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 under the discipline 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.

Further information on the project and the “Atlas of Finnish Literature 1870–1940” can be found in the online app: https://atlas.utu.fi/ 

Jasmine Westerlund is a researcher, writer and literary arts educator.

Jenni Turunlahti is a literary arts educator and writer whose bachelor’s thesis examined place names in Finnish literature between 1870 and 1940.