“Feelings and attitudes towards language can vary in different phases of life”

Heidi Grönstrand, professor of Finnish at Stockholm University. Photo: Sören Andersson

“In recent years, my research has been mainly focused on issues of multilingualism. I am interested in literary multilingualism and have highlighted the subject from different perspectives and written about Finnish authors who write or have written in two or more different languages. I see multilingualism in a societal context, as a dynamic phenomenon that arises in interaction between the author, the text, the reader and the literary field.”

Researches Swedish-Finnish literature

Heidi Grönstrand has worked at Stockholm University since 2016 and during her time in Sweden she has become interested in researching Swedish-Finnish literature.

“In my current research on the Finnish poet Pentti Saarikoski, I use archival material. He has his roots in modernism and moved to Sweden in 1975 and lived here until his death in 1983. Among other things, I show how archival research as a method clarifies the view of literary multilingualism and its literary historical tradition that often extends far beyond national borders.”

How does your research contribute to society?

“I have dealt with these questions for about 15 years and during this time I have noticed how the interest in multilingualism has increased, not only in literary research but in society as a whole. From having long belonged in the private sphere or having been a subject that was almost exclusively discussed in connection with minority issues and immigrant issues – or in the context of modernism if it is a question of literary research – it has become clearer that multilingualism is a matter that has links to many areas of society. In Sweden, I follow language debates with interest and, for example, the position of Finnish as one of Sweden’s national minority languages and how it is taught in school.”

Which result has been most exciting so far?

“Among other things, I have been able to show that Pentti Saarikoski wrote much more in Swedish than was previously known. It was an unforgettable feeling to discover that only three months after his move to Sweden, he started writing notes in a diary in Swedish. The language change from Finnish to Swedish may mark a new life in a new country, even if the language change did not last that long. But this is often how it is in life: the feelings and the approach to language can vary in different life phases and life situations and they can be anything but logical and rational.”

This year's Inauguration and conferment ceremony in the Stockholm City Hall will take place on 29 September. Photo: Ingmarie Andersson

Inauguration and Conferment ceremony in the City Hall

Heidi Grönstrand is one of the new professors who were employed during 1 July 2022 – 30 June 2023. All new professors who took office during this period are invited to the Inauguration and conferment ceremony in the Stockholm City Hall 29 September 2023. The professorial installation is the occasion when the new professors are welcomed to the university and their different subject areas are brought to attention.

Read more about Heidi Grönstrand’s research.