Author Visit: Jaakko Aarniala

Writer Jaakko Aarniala, author of the novel Helsingejoen lapset, visits Etelä-Haaga Library on the eve of Helsinki Day. Welcome to all who love Helsinki's history and historical fiction!

Helsingejoen lapset is a historical novel set in medieval Helsinki and has been well received by readers. The main characters are teenage siblings whose dreams, struggles, and adventures the reader follows throughout the story.

The novel depicts the armed uprising of Uusimaa men in autumn 1495 and the dramatic turns of the Battle of Vatikivi, which are connected to the siege of Viborg and the "Great Russian War". The event known as the Viborg explosion is also part of this period.

Jaakko Aarniala explains: "Life in the late 1400s was far more nuanced than one might imagine, thanks to trade, and in a curious way, place names from that era echo the present: Töölö, Huopalahti, Viikki, Konala... The medieval village of Lill-Hoplax probably lay quite close to where Etelä-Haaga Library stands today - the sea level was higher then."

Copies of Helsingejoen lapset will be available for purchase at the event.

Free admission, warmly welcome!