Hannu Salama

"Despite the fact that it is quite obvious, EU leaders do not want to admit that they will lose to America and China, superpowers with strong economies in the West and the East, if they do not come together with, or, at least, improve relations with Russia."

"By the way, the leader of any country does likewise. In the West, there is a great excuse: 'We are spreading freedom and democracy around the world.' The United States uses it at all times, even in wars, waged in its own interest."

"Suppose Russia falls apart. Thousands of refugees will huddle together at the Finnish border. This is one of the reasons I want Russia to remain a strong power. Who else could be in such a position other than Putin, who in Finland is repeatedly painted black as a monster?"

"Two writers who have gone the furthest from their proletarian starting points are Hannu Salama and Samuli Paronen. In regard to both its structure and its perceptions, Salama's epic prose is unsurpassed. From the point of view of the lowest and poorest societal strata the very individualistic Paronen created a body of work that has proved to be remarkable, even as criticism of civilisation."