The Unknown Soldier (novel)  From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search The Unknown Soldier
Author Väinö Linna Original title Tuntematon sotilas Country
Finland Language Finnish Genre War novel Publisher WSOY
Publication date 3 December 1954 Published in English Media type
Print (Hardback & Paperback)  The Unknown Soldier (Tuntematon
sotilas) is author Väinö Linna's first major novel and his other
major work besides Under the North Star. Published in 1954, it
is a story about the Continuation War between Finland and the
Soviet Union as told from the viewpoint of ordinary Finnish
soldiers. Gritty and realistic, it was partly intended to
shatter the myth of the noble, obedient Finnish soldier, and in
that it succeeded admirably. In Linna's own words, he wished to
give the Finnish soldier a brain, an organ lacking in earlier
depictions — this was a barb directed at Johan Runeberg's The
Tales of Ensign Stål, which admiringly portrays Finnish soldiers
with big hearts and little independent i