The translation traditions on the island in Puulavesi
In the 10th Yearbook of the Kalevala Society Jean-Louis Perret wrote about the summers in Otto Manninen’s summerhouse by the lake Puulavesi.
“During the winter my work and other tasks in the capital prevented me from doodling with the translation: adapting the French language to the manner of speaking of the heroes of the Finnish tale required more free time and peace to work in the quietness of the countryside. Thus, I have done most of the translations of the Kalevala during the summers in 1927, 28 and 29 in Kotavuori, the cozy summer house of Otto Manninen, where he has matched the tales and adventures of the heroes of the Homer into Finnish.
In other words, on this beautiful island in Puulavesi, we had our own traditions when it came to working with translations and both the summery rural nature and the spiritual atmosphere was, from the start, very favourable for translating the Kalevala. In August 1929, in the sauna chamber at Kotavuori, where I was drawn to with my books as I could sit there and look outside the window at the bay and the lake, the headlands on both sides and where I could catch glimpses of young girls playing, this was the place, close to the smoky sauna stove and the black beams, where I was able to finalise the French version of the Kalevala.
From the beginning, my friend, Otto Manninen, had followed my attempt with warm compassion. I had the help of the knowledge and experience of a virtuoso, whenever I stumbled upon a blurry verse or when I found a word that did not have an equivalent in French. He also supported me when I encountered a diffuse and problematic passage which was difficult to interpret. With the help of his insight of the Kalevala and the values of the French poetic language, the “poetic sledge” was soon set off again.”
J. L. Perret: “Kalevalan ranskannokseni” – Kalevalaseuran vuosikirja 10. Helsinki: WSOY. 1930.