ABSTRACT
This chapter examines Mikael Niemi's and Gunnar Kieri's novels in order to find out what these writers representing two different generations bring to the domain of the speakable and the memorable, how they deconstruct die trauma which results from the suppression of language and identity, and how they reconstruct the Tome Valley Finnish identity. Choosing protagonists from among the low-ranking, marginalised Tome Valley Finns is an act of protest against mainstream literature and hegemonic culture. Both Gunnar Kieri and Mikael Niemi emphasise close relations with the Finno-Ugric and Finnish culture and mentality, and in this way they reconstruct the Torne Valley Finnish mentality as a contrast and opposite to Swedish mentality. Niemi points out that the geographical location and paternalistic approach still affect attitudes towards Torne Valley Finns, but he emphasises cultural originality rather than the political dimension.
