Five years ago I spent one autumn in Spain. It was really beautiful autumn. Madrid was beautiful and I had great time there. I lived in old charming building with someone I loved. I sat in cafes and danced every night in different night club. I went to see Spanish movies and met new people. I walked streets I didn't know and I was glad to be around people who didn't know me. I was very grateful to be there and breathe the city inside of me. And still, despite all of this, I was depressed. I felt myself stupid and small and I thought wrong thoughts. Madrid was so much of everything and I was so little, I was so wrong.

In the middle of this "feeling-stupid"-period my roommate gave me Erlend Loe's book "Naiv. Super." ("Supernaiivi") and it was exactly right time to read it. I loved the book, it made me laugh and it made me cry and it helped me not to take myself so seriously and to be less tragical. It is still one of my favourite books of all time. Book that came into my life when I needed it, like all the really good books do. They wait in shadows and step into your life when it's time.

When I came back to Finland and was feeling better again I read "Fakta om Finland" ("Tosiasioita Suomesta") and I was so disappointed. Probably I had just waited too much of it after "Naiv. Super." But everything that I had liked in "Naiv. Super." I hated in "Fakta om Finland". Ok, it was a good book, but just not good enough. It was not what I hoped it to be.

After that I read this very small book "Maria & José" and my god how I loved that one! It tells a story about this woman, Maria, and this man, José, who happens to live in Maria's ear. He lives there happily and everyday he makes bicyclerides around Maria's body. Maria doesn't know that there's man living in her ear but somehow she never feels herself lonely. It's so beautiful book and I wouldn't mind to have a man like that living in my ear too. If you haven't read it yet I really suggest that you all go and read it! It's very short story with beautiful pictures.

After "Maria & José" I read "Tatt av kvinnen" ("Naisen talloma"). First when I started to read it I hated the book. After a while I started to like it a lot. But when the last sentence came I got angry. I didn't like the last sentence. I think it was unnecessary. It made me feel that author didn't trust to his readers. "See, I wrote this book, but because you probably won't undestand that I try to be sarcastic or you won't understand what I try to say with it, I will put here this last sentence." Come on, when I read I want to figure out myself what the book is about, I don't want that kind of statements.

At the moment I'm reading "L" but I still don't know what to say about it, maybe I will tell it to you later. Outi Menna has also translated "Doppler" but I haven't read that one either. But still, despite I don't like everything that Loe has written I really love some of his books and I'm glad that "Naiv. Super." found it's way to me whan i was in Spain. I'm so grateful for that one autumn in my life and I'm grateful for that book.

 

En edelleenkään tiedä, onko asioissa järkä ja kääntyykö kaikki lopulta hyväksi.

Mutta uskon, että joillain asioilla on merkitystä.

Uskon, että leikki ja hauskanpito puhdistavat sielun.

Uskon myöskin rakkauteen.

Lisäksi minulla on paljon hyviä ystäviä ja vain yksi huono. (suom.Outi Menna)

(Sorry, this text is only in Finnish. I try to find the book in Norwegian from library and add it here also in Norwegian.)