Special Nordic delivery for Leeds Central Library

Rose Gibson, the manager of Leeds Central Library, with the donated copy of Finland's beloved book, Kalevala. Picture by Tony Johnson.

Now, visitors to Leeds Central Library can delve deeper into the works of Scandinavian story-telling following the delivery of classic and contemporary books, courtesy of the Finnish Institute in London this week.

In a gift prompted by Finland’s centenary celebrations as an independent country, the consignment of ten modern masterpieces and beloved classics, all penned by Finnish authors and translated into English, was presented to the city’s central library today - one of ten UK libraries chosen to receive different collections of ten Finnish books during 2017.

Among the titles is ‘Kalevala’, a 19th century poetry compilation considered to be one of Finland’s most culturally significant texts. It explores the traditional Finnish creation myth.

Johanna Sumuvuori, the Finnish Institute’s head of society and culture, said: “We wanted to celebrate Finland’s centenary in the UK by bringing ten wonderful Finnish stories to British readers and library users.

“We believe these stories offer great literary travels across Finnish culture.”

Coun Debra Coupar, Leeds Council’s executive member for communities, said: “These books are a wonderful addition to the collection at Leeds Central Library and a fascinating window into the heritage and history of another country.

“Literature is always a great introduction to exploring different cultures and their traditions and this campaign also helps us to highlight the importance of reading and literacy.”