THE 30 YEARS' WAR, by Henrik Tikkanen (translated by George Blecher and Lone Thygesen Blecher).

I bought this book - and it's not that easy to find - because I had very much enjoyed another Tikkanen book I'd read four years ago, a memoir called A WINTER'S DAY, which was very funny, even in translation. THE 30 YEARS' WAR is one of the few other Tikkanen books that is available in English. Sadly, its humor is not nearly as accessible at A WINTER'S DAY. The story of Finnish Army Private Viktor Kappara, who doesn't get the news of the end of WWII, and so stolidy stays at his post in far northern Finland, awaiting further orders, for the next thirty years. I know there was a real case like this, only it was a Japanese soldier on a Pacific island. But no matter.

Kappara is less a character than a caricature here, a fictional vehicle for poking fun at the military, at war, and at politics, not only Finnish, but Soviet, American, and European politics too. The book was first published in 1977, and this English translation appeared ten years later, complete with numerous explanatory footnotes. But the political humor, which includes jabs at Watergate and the Vietnam war, is pretty dated by now, although its anti-war message remains relevant.

Nope. I was disappointed in this one. The book has been compared to Vonnegut's writing, but I don't think so. I was reminded more of a couple other books I read years ago - Vladimir Voinovich's THE LIFE AND EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES OF PRIVATE IVAN CHONKIN and Jaroslav Hasek's THE GOOD SOLDIER SCHWEIK. I liked both of those. But this one? Yeah, there are a few good chuckles here and there, but I would recommended it mainly for history enthusiasts, and perhaps for American readers who want to know more about Finnish history. ( )