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Mauri Sariola (1924-1985) - wrote also as Esko Laukko | |
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Finnish mystery writer, who gained international fame with his inspector Susikoski stories. Among Sariola's best mystery novels were Leivätön pöytä on katettu (1958), Susikoski ottaa omansa (1959), Minä, Olavi Suskoski (1963), and Susikosken vaikein juttu (1967). Sariola received the French literary prize Prix du Roman d'adventures for his novel The Helsinki Affair (1961, Lavean tien laki), his most popular novel, which in Finland sold some 100,000 copies. The protagonist is a young lawyer, Matti Viima, who has an attractive secretary but not too busy in his office. He starts to investigate a case, in which his client has received threatening letters. The search of the blackmailer turns into a murder hunt. Finally Viima unmasks the offenders – his secretary and his client's friend Sistonen – in his capacity as Counsel for the Defence at the Helsinki Criminal Court. "Sistonen was broad-shouldered, but not very tall – a feature which must go against him, I thought. I was about his height myself, though leaner. I had never liked big men: they were usually bumptious and smug, amd apt to throw their weight about. But as I looked at my secretary's legs with their powerful calves and slender ankles, and the way she walked with light, rhythmic steps and head held high, I suddenly wished that I were a good bit taller." (from The Helsinki Affair) Mauri Sariola was born in Hattula. His father, Armas Sariola, was educated as a teacher, like several other members of the family. Later Sariola continued the tradition and worked as a teacher in the early 1950s. Mauri was the youngest of three children. His older brother Lauri died of drowning in 1935. Sariolan graduated from the Toijala upper secondary school in 1943. During the Continuation War, he served under General Ruben Lagus in Äänislinna as a radio officer and participated in the combats against the German Army in Lapland. In 1945 Sariola entered the University of Helsinki, where he studied law for some years. Before abandoning his studies, Sariola had several jobs. He worked at a law firm (1947-48), in a bank (1949-59), taught in elementary schools, and wrote for Apu and other magazines and the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. While in Kittlä in 1952 Sariola composed his first mystery novel, but burned the manuscript. After a brief stint in Helsinki, Sariola went to Pudasjärvi, where he worked as a teacher for nine months under forged papers, drinking occasionally on his free time. Sariola's pedagogical methods were original but he was loved by his pupils. Sariola returned in 1955 to Helsinki. Between the years 1956 and 1966 he was a crime reporter at Helsingin Sanomat, and then became a freelance writer. According to one of the several stories dealing with Sariola, the author had read M.M. Kaye's novel Kuolema kulki Kyproksella (Death Walks in Cyprus) and decided to show that he can write a better book. However, M.M. Kaye's works were translated into Finnish after Sariola's debut. His first book, Laukausten hinta (1956) Sariola while working on a road construction project. It was followed by Rotat pois laivasta! (1956). Sariola was called the successor of Vilho Helanen (1899-1952), who had made his breakthrough as a mystery writer a decade earlier. The book was filmed in 1959 under the title Kolmas laukaus. Part of the film was shot in Morocco. Ismo Kallio played the inspector Olavi Susikoski, perhaps the best known police character in Finnish literature after Mika Waltari's inspector Palmu. In the story Susikoski solves the murder of an agronomist. Totuus on armoton (1960), about two lawyers, was filmed in 1963, but did not gain much success. It was directed by Valentin Vaala, who had made 43 feature films and failed in his last effort. Susikoski virittää ansan (1970) was adapted into screen under the name Tuntematon ystävä (1978) by the director Lars G. Thelestam. Åke Lindman played Susikoski, and the Finnish Miss Universum 1975, Anne Pohtamo, had a small role as Susikoski's girl friend. A very prolific writer, Sariola occupied a central place in the Finnish mystery scene for decades. In 1966 he published five books. Two of them appeared under the pseudonym Esko Laukko, starting from Tohtori Viitasen tapaus. Several of his books Sariola wrote in Sammatti, where he had a summer house. Sariola used the pen name Esko Laukko in nine novels – some of them were better received than his own works. Especially Sen yli käy vain tuuli viheltäin (1969) was noted for its skillful plot. However, the story was a plagiarism from Bill S. Ballinger's classical The Tooth and the Nail (1955). After the pseudonym was revealed, Sariola claimed that Laukko was his wife Tuula Sariola. Mauri Sariola died in Helsinki on August 9, 1985. He wrote nearly 80 books, most of which were published by Gummerus. Some of them were put together from his serialized short stories. Sariola was a natural story-teller and a bohemian, who had a a taste for gambling, drinking and sending telegrams in the middle of the night. His style was fluid, plots fast-paced, but characters too often cursory sketched. Sariola published over 30 crime novels, several historical novels, war novels, non-fiction, short stories, television scripts, radio plays, memoirs, and translated works from such authors as Erle Stanley Gardner, Quentin Patrick and Ian Fleming. His books were translated into Swedish, French, Russia, German, English, Norwegian, and Estonian. As a mystery writer he carried further the Finnish detective story tradition of Outsider and Marton Taiga, but added to it international flavour and topicality. His best-known characters include Inspector Olavi Susikoski, the hero of more than 30 novels, and Matti Viima, a lawyer, the central character in five novels. In Pyykki on pantu ja pysyy (1965) Viima met Susikoski. Although Sariola had served in the army during the war, he never was especially interested in the subject like Niilo Lauttamus, but anyhow published some war novels. Aamu Heinjoen tiellä (1966) was based on true events. The protagonist is a young soldier, who destroys with his antitank gun ten tanks before dying. The soldier, Kauko Tuomala, was awarded posthumously the Mannerheim Cross for bravery. Sariola used a real life model for the character, as in Kolmannen valtakunnan kuningatar (1972), which told of Hitler's chauffeur, Erich Kempka. Sariola had read Kempka's book, Ich habe Adolf Hitler verbrantt, and also met him in Freiburg. When critics have considered Aamu Heinjoen tiellä one of Sariola's best war novels, the latter arose much controversy, because it gave somewhat positive picture of Hitler and Eva Braun, the dictator's longtime mistress. The critic Pekka Tarkka wrote that the book openly admires a person, who is seen as the embodiment of destructive lust for power, irrational racial theories, and mad violence. In 1971 Veikko Huovinen had published a satirical novel about mass hysteria, dictators, and Hitler, entitled Veitikka. He was afraid that his novel would be considered a similar kind of questionable entertainment than Sariola's work. Sariola also wrote three novels about soldiers, who were rewarded the Mannerheim Cross for excellent heroism. The trilogy Talvisodan vänrikki (1979), Jatkosodan kapteeni (1980), and Jälleenrakennettu maa (1981) covered the Winter War (1939-40), the Continuation War (1941-44) and post-war period of reconstruction. Armeija piikkilankojen takana dealt with Finnish prisoners of war. Sariola did not gain the acceptance of the cultural elite, who considered his works unfashionably conservative and carelessly composed. However, Sariola had a good eye for details. His observations about clothes, furnishings, restaurants, drinks, food, and on the other had sexual morals give a vivid picture of the Finnish way of life from the 1950s to mid-1980s. According to some sources, Sariola's Isänmaan parturit (1958), a story about political horse trades, angered President Urho Kekkonen, and the author had to wait in the reserve for his promotion to lieutenant for a long time. Eventually Sariola got his long awaited promotion after Mauno Koivosto was elected president of Finland in 1982 – during the Continuation War Koivisto had served under Lauri Törni (later Larry Thorne) in the Törni Detachment. From 1970 Sariola was married to Tuula Sariola (original surname Korpela). From his first marriage to Anja Karjalainen Sariola had three children. Under Tuula Sariola's name, the Susikoski series was continued in Susikosken paluu (1992), Susikoski Orilammella (1994) etc. The love novel Ampiaispesä (1997) depicted her relationship with the author, who was noted for his patriotism, bohemian lifestyle, and generosity. In Juni 2006 it was revealed that all of Tuula Sariola's 16 books were ghost written by her friend, the journalist Ritva Sarkola. For further reading: Hornanlinnan perilliset by Timo Kukkola (1980); Kirjailijatar ja hänen miehensä by Eila Pennanen (1982); Suomen kansallisfilmografia 6, ed. by Kari Uusitalo (1991); Suomalaisia rikoskrjailijoita by Timo Kukkola (1998; 2. enl. ed.); Mauri Sariola -bibliografia 1956-1998 by Simo Sjöblom (1999); Suomen kansallisfilmografia 8, ed. by Kari Uusitalo (1999); Mauri Sariola: Aika velikulta by Ritva Sarkola & Raimo Jokisalmi (2005); Ensimmäiset kymmenen vuotta: katsaus Mauri Sariola -seura ry:n taipaleeseen 1995-2005, ed. by Seppo Simola (2007); Mauri Sariola ja maksetut viulut: elämäkertaromaani by Ritva Sarkola (2007); Ystäväni Mauri Sariola: epäromaani by Seppo Porvali (2007); Mauri Sariola -seura ry:n vuosikokousten Sariola-aiheisten tietokilpailujen kysymykset ja vastaukset vuosilta 1997-2008 by Kari Piitulainen (2008) - Mauri Sariola Association: founded in 1995, Ampiaiskesä (magazine published by Mauri Sariola Association, ed. by Raimo Jokisalmi) Selected works:
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