Hajamuistelmia pakolaiselämästä by Aatto Sirén
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"Hajamuistelmia pakolaiselämästä" by Aatto Sirén is a collection of memoiristic sketches written in the early 20th century. It portrays a Finnish socialist refugee’s life in revolutionary Russia after the Finnish Civil War, blending personal observations, political reflection, travel notes, and community portraits from places like Petrograd and the Bui settlement. The opening of the volume sets its scope and tone: brief, immediate vignettes rather than systematic history, focused on first-hand impressions amid
chaos. Sirén recalls the tense nights in the Finnish Parliament just before the outbreak of civil war, his surprise at how swiftly events escalated, and his skepticism about the feasibility of workers’ power in Finland, framed through Marxist reasoning and a debate with a comrade about whether the catastrophe could have been avoided. He then narrates a fraught attempt to return home through rail lines cut by German forces, a roundabout trek via small stations and villages, and the eventual move through Viipuri to Petrograd. The narrative widens to contrast the lost pomp of Tsarist palaces and preserves with their Soviet-era transformation into museums and people’s parks. It follows refugees east to Bui, depicting a Finnish colony riddled with seedy opportunists, frictions over rations and communal rules, but also competent health care and even the solace of a grand sauna. Early chapters close with life at the community’s factory, the author’s many roles from medic to administrator, and a reflective digression on ancient Finno-Ugric settlements around the Kostroma region, tying present exile to deep-time migrations. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Sirén, Aatto, 1873-1955 |
|---|---|
| Title | Hajamuistelmia pakolaiselämästä |
| Original Publication | Helsinki: Työväen Sanomalehti Osakeyhtiö, 1923. |
| Credits | Anna Siren and Tapio Riikonen |
| Language | Finnish |
| LoC Class | DK: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Russia, Former Soviet Republics, Poland |
| Subject | Finland -- History -- Civil War, 1918 -- Refugees |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 78096 |
| Release Date | Mar 2, 2026 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 6374 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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