Release date is 2026-04-02

Juhani Kärkkäinen and Tapio Riikonen

Meren äärillä by Larin-Kyösti is a collection of poetry written in the early 20th century. The book evokes seafaring and island life in the northern Baltic, blending nature lyricism with village portraits; its likely topic is the sea’s power and the daily rhythms, dangers, and celebrations of coastal communities.

The poems move from bold seascapes and storm songs to intimate interiors and festive scenes. Vivid sketches show fishermen, pilots, smugglers, and townsfolk; humorous vignettes punctuate the work (a shrewd customs man, a swaggering sailor, a prim city lady abroad), while love, longing, and homesickness soften the edges. Rituals and gatherings—Sunday quiet, Helatorstai singing, market voyages across the gulf, and rousing island weddings—anchor the community. The sea appears in many moods: moonlit calm, blinding fog, mine-lit terror, and world-shaping fury, prompting spiritual reflections on fate, courage, and creation. Between thunderstorms and hush, children play on sand, a mother sings a lullaby, and autumn answers summer—until the collection closes with notes on local words, sealing its portrait of an archipelago and its people. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Originally published: Porvoo: WSOY, 1921