Finnish Literature Exchange FILI supports the publication of Juha in Czech

Masaryk University Press has received a grant from FILI, the Finnish Literature Exchange, for the publication of the Czech translation of Juhani Aho’s novel Juha.

Juha is one of the key works of one of Finland’s most celebrated authors. In this renowned story of love, betrayal, and cultural conflict, Juhani Aho (1861–1921) set the action in the Finnish-Karelian borderlands, against a backdrop of tensions between the Finns and the Karelians living across the Russian border. Juha, a hardworking but rather plain-looking farmer, lives with his young and beautiful wife Marja, who comes from Russian Karelia. One day, a handsome travelling merchant named Shemeikka asks for lodging at their home...

Although several of Aho’s books were translated into Czech during the first half of the twentieth century, Juha is now appearing in Czech for the very first time. Yet it is considered one of the classics of Finnish literature, as evidenced by its many translations into numerous languages and by several film adaptations, the most recent being Aki Kaurismäki’s 1999 film. More than a century after its publication, Juha’s story continues to demonstrate its timeless appeal and its ability to resonate with new generations of readers.

FILI (Finnish Literature Exchange) supports translations from Finnish and promotes Finnish literature around the world. The Czech translation of Juha was produced as part of a Finnish literature translation seminar at the Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University. Under the supervision of Markéta Hejkalová, the translation was prepared by Eliška Losíková, Hana Hlinovská, Mariia Konovalova, and Nikola Kleinová. Markéta Hejkalová also contributed an afterword entitled Honest Finn Juha and the Treacherous Foreigner Shemeikka.

The book will be published in autumn 2026 as the eleventh volume in the First Time in Czech series.