The Kalevala：An Epic Poem after Oral Tradition by Elias Lönnrot

TheKalevalaisthegreatFinnishepic,whichliketheIliadandtheOdyssey,grewoutofarichoraltraditionwithprehistoricroots.Duringthefirstmilleniumofourera,speakersofUraliclanguages(thoseoutsidetheIndo-Europeangroup)whohadsettledintheBalticregionofKarelia,thatstraddlestheborderofeasternFinlandandnorth-westRussia,developedanoralpoetrythatwastolastintothenineteenthcentury.ThispoetryprovidedthebasisoftheKalevala.Itwasassembledinthe1840sbytheFinnishscholarEliasLonnrot,whotook'dictation'fromtheperformanceofafolksinger,inmuchthesamewayasourgreatcollectionsfromthepast,fromHomericpoemstomedievalsongsandepics,haveprobablybeensetdown.Publishedin1849,itplayedacentralroleinthemarchtowardsFinnishindependenceandinspiredsomeofSibelius'sgreatestworks.ThisnewandexcitingtranslationbypoetKeithBosley,prize-winningtranslatoroftheanthologyFinnishFolkPoetry:Epic,isthefirsttrulytocombinelivelinesswithaccuracyinawaywhichreflectstherichnessoftheoriginal.ABOUTTHESERIES:Forover100yearsOxfordWorld'sClassicshasmadeavailablethewidestrangeofliteraturefromaroundtheglobe.EachaffordablevolumereflectsOxford'scommitmenttoscholarship,providingthemostaccuratetextplusawealthofothervaluablefeatures,includingexpertintroductionsbyleadingauthorities,helpfulnotestoclarifythetext,up-to-datebibliographiesforfurtherstudy,andmuchmore.