Meren kansa by Marc Elder
"Meren kansa" by Marc Elder is a novel written in the early 20th century. Set in a rugged island fishing community, it follows the quiet, driven fisherman Urbain Coët as he commissions a new boat and clashes with envy, superstition, and pride among his peers. His world includes his steadfast wife Marie-Jeanne, his younger brother Léon, the three-generation Goustav shipwrights, and jealous rivals like Julien Perchais and the Aquenette brothers. The opening
of the novel shows Urbain thwarting a nighttime attempt to burn his half-built boat and then guarding the shed through the dark, already sensing the malice of local competitors. By day we see the Goustavs’ traditional craft, the village’s gossip about a past shipwreck and rumored money, and rising taunts in the tavern. Urbain pointedly christens his vessel “Kadehtijain mieliharmi” (to spite the enviers), provoking a Sunday crowd to inspect the hull and sparking a scuffle with Tupla-Heikki. His cautious farmer father-in-law scolds the risk, underscoring the land–sea divide, while the townsfolk’s admiration mixes with resentment. The boat is launched to cheers as a squally wind builds; a fallen bouquet and a grizzled sailor’s remark unsettle Marie-Jeanne, Léon stays aboard to watch through the night, and the scene closes with the storm rising and a note of foreboding. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Elder, Marc, 1884-1933 |
|---|---|
| Translator | Koskelainen, Yrjö, 1885-1951 |
| Title | Meren kansa |
| Original Publication | Turku: Turun suomal. kirjapaino- ja sanomalehti Oy, 1913. |
| Note | Appears to be a translated fragment of Le Peuple de la mer (#41872), consisting of only part of the first story (Alus/La barque) of the three stories which comprise that collection. |
| Credits | Tuula Temonen and Tapio Riikonen |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 32.3 (College-level). Difficult to read. |
| Language | Finnish |
| LoC Class | PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese |
| Subject | Sea stories |
| Subject | French fiction -- Translations into Finnish |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 76180 |
| Release Date | May 29, 2025 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 105 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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