"Mika Waltari: from Helsinki to Istanbul
Mika Waltari’s Yksinäisen miehen juna (‘The Lonely Man’s Train’, 1929) takes us on a trip from Helsinki to Istanbul, through a Europe taking a breath between world wars and still balancing on the edge of the old and the new. The travel book turns eighty next year, but Waltari’s way of seeing our part of the world and its people seems timeless. In ‘searching for our time’, the protagonist is primarily searching for himself and confronting adulthood. The train’s movement is unstoppable, making its way toward a new, modern unknown. The individual considers directions and put together timetables and routes. In the end, the decision is simply a question of whether or not to stay on board."
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