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The Finnish Literature Society (Finnish: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura ry or Finnish: SKS) was founded in 1831[1] to promote literature written in Finnish. Among its first publications was the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic.[2]
The society is the oldest Finnish publisher still in operation and publishes general non-fiction books including folklore, literature and history.[3]
Mission
The Finnish Literature Society (SKS), founded in 1831, is a scholarly society and cultural organisation. It is Finland’s largest publisher of openly accessible scholarly books in the humanities. SKS collects and preserves Finnish culture and cultural heritage, conducts academic research, and supports the translation, export, and internationalisation of Finnish literature. It also awards grants and prizes, organises public seminars and cultural events, and provides schools and educational institutions with visits, workshops, and freely available online learning materials. Furthermore, it disseminates knowledge about oral and written culture. Within SKS, Finland’s oral culture was transformed into written form, and the Finnish language was developed into a language of scholarship and culture.[4][3]
History
The entrance hall colonnade.
The Finnish Literature Society was founded in 1831 by men active within the Imperial Alexander University who shared a common dream of making Finnish a language of science and literature. One of them was Elias Lönnrot, renowned as a prolific wordsmith of the Finnish language, who coined the word kirjallisuus (“literature”) for the name of SKS.[5]
A group of young university men gathered at the residence of Carl Niklas Keckman, lecturer of Finnish at the Imperial Alexander University. In the minutes describing the meeting, Elias Lönnrot wrote that at the actual founding meeting a week later, the expression “kirja keinot” (“book means”) had been replaced with “kirjallisuus” (“literature”), and the society was named the Finnish Literature Society.[5]
The first decades of the 19th century were a time of rising national cultures throughout Europe. Finland’s national awakening was also supported by the region’s political developments. In 1809, the Grand Duchy of Finland was incorporated into the Russian Empire, whose plans included separating the country spiritually and culturally from Sweden. This created an opportunity to raise the level of education and culture among the Finnish-speaking majority.[5]
The Finnish Literature Society was founded in 1831 by men active within the University of Helsinki who were interested in the Finnish language and believed in the future of its literary cultivation. They had received their education and intellectual inspiration at the Academy of Turku, where, toward the end of the previous century, the historian and folklore researcher Henrik Gabriel Porthan had been influential. Another model came from the literary societies that had been established since the late 18th century in Europe’s university towns.[5]
In the Society’s first set of rules it was emphasised that “language is the foundation of nationality.” The Society was not merely an academic discussion club, but a seedbed of national spirit, whose membership included not only officials and students but also enlightened common people, and, from 1846 onward, women as well.[5]
One of the most far-reaching undertakings of the early years was the collection and publication of folk poetry. The Society supported its first secretary, Elias Lönnrot, on his collecting journeys in Eastern Finland and Karelia, and published the works based on the results of these travels: the Kalevala (1835, 1849) and the Kanteletar (1840).[5]
By publishing folk poetry, it became possible to expand the scant body of Finnish-language literature while also enriching the Finnish language with the living expressions of everyday speech. The Society began to produce both scholarly and literary works in Finnish: histories, grammars, dictionaries, popular expositions on subjects such as the natural sciences and legislation, as well as translations of classics of world literature. Through writing competitions, it sought new authors of stories and plays. The first Finnish-language novel, Seven Brothers by Aleksis Kivi, was published by the Society in 1870.[5]
Within SKS, all the major Finnish-language scholarly societies in the humanities, as well as many institutions, were established during the 19th century. The Society played a role in the founding of the Finnish National Theatre, Finnish national business and capital, and the party system. Although SKS moved in 1890 into its grand building at Hallituskatu 1 in the capital and was led by the gentlemen of Helsinki, it created an axis running through Finnish society and culture, with local tradition bearers at its other end.[5]
Present Day
In 2024, the SKS has just over 2,000 members; membership fees range from 20-35 euros per year.[6]
The SKS research library is open to the public.[7][8]
FILI, the Finnish Literature Exchange, which aims to promote Finnish literature internationally, is part of the Finnish Literature Society.[9]
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