Kalle Päätalo ja Sáemus Ó Grianna - mihin kansankirjallisuutta tarvitaan?

Authors

  • Panu Petteri Höglund

Keywords:

Irish, literature, peasants, authors

Abstract

Kalle Päätalo and Séamus Ó Grianna – What is Peasant Literature Good for? The article compares Séamus Ó Grianna of Donegal Gaeltacht, Ireland, and Kalle Päätalo of Taivalkoski, Finland, two peasant writers. While Séamus Ó Grianna came from a culture rich in oral literature and creativity, but illiterate, Kalle Päätalo grew up in a literate world, but one where literature was perceived as sinful and detrimental. The differences and similarities between the two writers are surveyed. Both were wellknown for the sheer volume of their literary output, and both were largely shunned by modernist literary criticism. Both were perceived as pillars of conventional, conservative nationalism, but both were actually less than comfortable with it. On the other hand, while Séamus Ó Grianna wrote schematically and seldom innovated, seeing the very survival of his literary medium, Ulster Irish, as more pressing issue than literary creativity as ”l’art pour l’art”, Kalle Päätalo changed with his times and assimilated much of contemporary modernism into his way of writing while his literary career advanced. Both writers were champions of their home dialects, but while Päätalo used his mainly in dialogue and as occasional spice of his standard Finnish, Ó Grianna boldly challenged the emerging standard of written Irish, preferring his Ulster dialect undiluted.

Kalle Päätalo agus Séamus Ó Grianna – an bhfuil gá le litríocht tíre? Cuireann an talt seo Séamus Ó Grianna ó Thír Chonaill agus Kalle Päätalo ó Taivalkoski in OirThuaisceart na Fionlainne, an bheirt scríbhneoirí tíre, i gcomparáid le chéile mar scríbhneoirí is mar dhaoine. Tháinig Séamus Ó Grianna ar an bhfód i gcultúr neamhliteartha a bhí saibhir i mbéallitríocht agus i bhfilíocht phobail. Ón taobh eile de, níorbh aon adhnua le haon duine de mhuintir Päätalo a theanga dhúchais a bhreacadh síos, ach san am céanna, bhí meas an pheaca agus na baothshiamsaíochta acu ar an litríocht mar rud. Caitear súil ar an mbeirt scríbhneoirí, chomh cosúil agus chomh difriúil mar atá siad le chéile. B’í líonmhaireacht na leabhar a chum siad ba mhó a thuill a gclú dóibh. Bhí drochmheas ag an gcriticeoireacht nuaaimseartha ar a gcuid saothair. Síleadh nach raibh iontu go bunúsach ach bolscairí agus reacairí ag craobhscaoileadh suáilcí an náisiúnachais choimeádaigh choinbhinsiúnta, ach mar sin féin, ní raibh ceachtar acu comporach leis. Ón taobh eile de, nuair a chloígh Séamus Ó Grianna sách dlúth leis an múnla scríbhneoireachta a tharraing sé air i dtús a chaithréime, níor leasc le Päätalo na nósanna nuaaimseartha a chur i bhfeidhm ar a chuid scríbhinní féin, de réir is go raibh sé ag dul in aois agus ag éirí cleachtach ar a cheird. Tá clú an chanúnachais ar an mbeirt acu chomh maith, ach má bhí Séamus Ó Grianna ag tabhairt dhúshlán an Chaighdeáin Oifigiúil riamh leis an urraim a thugadh sé do cheart Ghaeilge Uladh mar a chonacthas dó féin é, ní úsáideadh Päätalo an chanúint mórán taobh amuigh den aithris ar an gcomhrá, ach amháin mar spíosra ócáidiúil le cur leis an bhFionlainnis chaighdeánta.

Section
Articles

Published

2012-12-10