Squire Hellman

These four deeply contrasting pieces from the pen of Juhani Aho, one of the founding fathers of that new national consciousness, are remarkable in their combination of rustic settings and strange psychological subtlety. The title-piece is both harrowing and humorous. Squire Hellman is an angry fiend of a man, bellowing constantly at his wife and servants, as well as all local dignitaries, and whipping his horses in a frenzy if he gets frustrated. One day, at a taxation court, he impatiently...