Taxi driver by night, historian by day
Self-taught historian Mirko Harjula investigated fate of Finns in Russian Civil War
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By Jouni Tervo
The warmest Saturday of the spring turns to night. The people, excited by the oncoming summer, throng the city, which means good business for taxi driver Mirko Harjula, who is just beginning his night shift.
"I drive about 15-20 nights a month. More in the winter, less in the summer. Nights are the best time", Harjula says as he parks his Toyota at the Senate Square taxi post. The Helsinki Cathedral and a statue of Alexander II stand in the background.
The location is no coincidence. A few weeks have passed since The Finnish Literature Society published Harjula's account of Finns in the Russian Revolution and Civil War.
The actual publication event was reserved for the young star-researcher Marko Tikka and his political history analysis Valkoisen hämärän maa ("The Land of White Gloom").
When Tikka had finished his presentation, a large, Slavic-looking young man rose from the side of the hall and said shyly: "I wrote a book as well, although I am just a high school graduate. They are available at the table over there, if someone is interested."
Harjula's book Suomalaiset Venäjän sisällissodassa 1917-1922 ("Finns in the Russian Civil War 1917-1922") is an astounding feat by an unknown author.
In a volume running to nearly 700 pages, he examines the fates of a number of Finns, name by name, in the upheaval that affected our neighbouring country. As a study it is not overshadowed by Tikka's excellent work, but in a strange way complements it. Harjula reveals what happened to those who strayed from the country of the white gloom to the red gloom across the border.
"It was wonderful that The Finnish Literature Society published the book. Publishing the study would have been enough for me, but the fact that all of the appendices, registers, and lists were included made me feel good", Harjula says.
In his car, Harjula looks like a taxi driver. A blue sweater, a collared shirt, and a necktie. His hand operates the gear stick: The diesel Toyota Avensis does not come with automatic transmission.
Cab driver Harjula knows that the decision to publish his book was a cultural achievement. He is not an academic, but has studied history passionately since he was a schoolboy.
Harjula has no previous publications, although his drawer is full of studies, surveys, and articles.
A year ago he asked the Finnish Literature Society to publish his research. With the power of his taxi seat-hardened buttocks, Harjula has sat at the National Archives and added new material to his previous work. With great perseverance, he has created something completely new.
Rauno Endén of the Finnish Literature Society read the manuscript. Two weeks later the news arrived: the research is excellent, and it will be published if it passes the initial check.
As a study the book is as clear and practical as a block of wood. The author raises a question and answers it with no philosophical pedantry.
"This is not science, but a detailed account on a little-researched topic", Harjula modestly formulates. His modesty is misplaced: the work is better than that of many university lecturers.
Like a modern-day Volga boatman, Harjula shuttles back and forth between two cultures and two worlds.
He owns a one-car taxi firm together with his father Urho. They have a simple work schedule: the father drives by day, and the son by night.
When Mirko began his studies, the Harjulas made a generational shift: the son was given control of the firm and the father became an employee.
"Father turned 65. He is already worried that he will have to stop driving in five years. For my father, being a taxi driver is a way of life. Although this is a good, easy-going job, I do it just for the money. This gives me time to write and do research during the day."
Mirko's father Urho is a former boxer of Helsingin Jyry, who was once the Finnish champion in the 81 kg. category. He never fought in any major bouts. They always picked softer, bourgeois boys for the bigger fights.
The father practiced in the basement of the Kulttuuritalo - a cultural arena in Helsinki owned by the Finnsih Communist Party. The ever-present ghost of socialism caught Urho to such an extent that he enrolled Mirko and his two younger sisters into the Finnish-Russian school.
"We did not have any Russian speakers in our family, nor did we have any other kind of connection to Russia. As a boxing champion, Father got to know a lot of leftist celebrities and wanted me in the same school with the Melasniemis and the other children."
When he was in school, socialism did not interest Harjula much, history all the more – especially the fate of the Balts and Finns under the influence of Russia. He soon began writing down accounts for his own use.
He has now gone through and written down the histories of all former Soviet states.
"I first made them for myself, with no intention to publish. My earliest writings lack all mention of sources. I have now begun to go through them and fill in the missing information."
The traffic in Pohjoisranta flows normally, despite one lane being blocked. The police have set up an breathalyser checkpoint.
"The weekend nightlife looks like a circus from behind the wheel", Harjula laughs.
Harjula, who turned 31 last Thursday, is a genuine do-it-yourself man. He has read, translated, and written since he was in high school. He now studies Russian in Kouvola, at the University of Helsinki Institute of Translation.
"When I am not studying or driving a taxi, I do research. I can easily do 30-40 hours a week, sometimes even more. This is my hobby. Others watch television", Harjula says. Harjula has translated both Russian historical research and modern Russian literature. No Finnish publisher has yet been interested in any of his work.
Over the years Russia has become so familiar that he has no illusions about Finland's neighbour. He sees Russia as a nice place to visit, but not to live.
"Russians are wonderful people as long as you do not talk about money. They see Finns as gullible fools."
"Nothing works in Russia except for the Metro. There has always been someone telling the people what to do and what to think. Now it is Putin's turn."
Harjula studies political history as a secondary subject at the University of Helsinki, and he attends exams along with all the other students.
A degree or a career as a researcher is not important to him.
"I am suspicious about the limitations of academic research. I want to make my own decisions and use my own methods. I prefer to write freely rather than force myself into scientific discourse, which is alien to me."
Competition among researchers does not interest Harjula either, although he dreams of being able to turn his hobby into a full-time job. "But if I did this to earn my living, it might lose its charm."
The quality of university research sometimes baffles Harjula. Apart from the very best researchers, the supply is surprisingly meagre. The poor knowledge and infrequent use of foreign sources due to poor language skills is what amazes him the most.
"We have respected researchers of Finnish-Russian relations who have next to no Russian sources. It is weird."
Harjula is currently finishing a study on Russian Karelia. In the summer he will undertake at least one expedition to the national archives in Petrozavodsk – at his own expense, of course.
"The research could be ready in a year, perhaps. I will offer it to the Finnish Literature Society again. I hope they would be interested."
The first ride of the night shift ends in Herttoniemi. A long line of vacant cars waits at the taxi post at the metro station. Harjula joins the queue. "Once I've taken a hundred on the meter, it is time for a coffee break. The night should begin to liven up after that."
While other drivers leaf through tabloids and read the tips for horse races, Harjula pores over research material, or reads historical prose. The small hours after restaurants close are the best.
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 13.5.2006
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 16.5.2006 - THIS WEEK |
 Taxi driver by night, historian by day |
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