Subject
Short stories, American -- Translations into Finnish Books
Best books
Mark Twain
Salapoliisijuttu sekin y.m. kertomuksia
"Salapoliisijuttu sekin y.m. kertomuksia" by Mark Twain is a collection of stories written in the early 20th century. The book appears to blend elements of humor, social commentary, and intrigue, featuring plots that portray the complexities of human relationships and moral dilemmas, often depicted through Twain's sharp wit. Central to the narrative is a tale revolving around Jakob and his young bride, exploring themes of love, betrayal, and revenge. The opening of the collection introduces the reader to a drama set in 1880 Virginia, where a young man marries a wealthy girl against her father's wishes. However, rather than finding happiness, the couple faces turmoil when the husband reveals he has been deeply offended by the father’s negative remarks about him. This leads to a cruel game of psychological torment inflicted on the wife over three months. The narrative then shifts to a timeframe in 1886, focusing on the now impoverished wife who lives humbly with her five-year-old son, Archy, revealing that he possesses a unique talent akin to a bloodhound. As the story unfolds, it suggests that the mother is plotting revenge against her husband, intertwining emotions of vengeance and the heavy burden of past grievances, setting the stage for a tale rich in tension and moral complexity.
Jack London
Suuri arvoitus
"Suuri arvoitus" by Jack London is a novel published in 1915. A university professor imprisoned in San Quentin endures brutal torture through a canvas jacket designed to break his spirit. He discovers an extraordinary escape: entering trance states where he walks among the stars and experiences fragments of past lives across different ages and cultures. Based on real prison torture methods and interviews with former convict Ed Morrell, the story blends mysticism, reincarnation, and science fiction into a tale of survival and transcendence.
Jack London
Meidän Herramme pettäjä : $b Kertomuksia valtameren kyntäjistä
"Meidän Herramme pettäjä : Kertomuksia valtameren kyntäjistä" by Jack London is a collection of sea stories written in the early 20th century. The tales center on the brutal, elemental life at sea—shipwrecks, Cape Horn gales, superstition, and grim moral tests—following sailors, captains, and ship’s boys in moments where courage and cruelty collide. Expect terse, hard-edged storytelling, stark irony, and vivid maritime detail rather than a single continuing protagonist. The opening of the collection presents four stark sea pieces. First comes a “true story” of the Francis Spaight, where a capsized crew drifts starving until they force a rigged lottery and murder a defiant cabin boy—only to be sighted and rescued moments later. Next, aboard the Mary Rogers at Cape Horn, the hulking Captain Dan Cullen, obsessed with “keeping a westing,” refuses to heave to for a man overboard and later contrives a passenger’s death, coolly covering both in the log. Then a young hand on the Sophie Sutherland battles fo’c’sle superstition: after taking a dead man’s bunk he “sees” a ghost on night watch that proves to be a mast-shadow cast by the veiled moon. The final piece begins with a weary captain approaching Dublin Bay, pilot aboard and rain coming in, sketching the commercial grind before the excerpt cuts off.
Jack London
Ikuinen salaisuus : $b Rakkaus- ja jännityskertomuksia
"Ikuinen salaisuus : Rakkaus- ja jännityskertomuksia" by Jack London is a collection of short stories written in the early 20th century. The volume blends romance, adventure, and psychological suspense, at times brushing against the supernatural. Its opening tale follows Lute and Chris, lovers in Northern California, whose bond is strained by a secret Chris refuses to reveal and a growing sense that unseen forces threaten them. Expect passionate conflicts, vivid landscapes, and swift, unsettling turns. The opening of the collection presents Lute demanding that Chris explain why he cannot marry her, even as he professes deep love and insists he must remain silent. Lute recounts how her guardians, Milred and Robert, shifted from warm approval to concern over years of delay, while she devoted herself entirely to Chris. During two rides, inexplicable accidents strike: Lute’s gentle mare suddenly turns murderous under Chris, and the next day his own horse topples backward off a steep bank, breaking its back as he narrowly survives. Back at camp, a psychograph séance with Milred, Robert, Mrs. Grantly, and Mr. Barton produces a chilling message warning Chris that two attempts on his life have already been made; when asked the sender’s identity, the device writes the name “Dick Curtis,” recognized as Lute’s deceased father, leaving the group shaken and the mystery deepening.
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