Characteristic features of the image of Finland in Kjell Westo's novel “Mirage 38”

The purpose of the article is to reveal characteristic features of the image of Finland on the material of the Kjell Westö's novel “Mirage 38”, which was not previously studied by Russian literature scholars. The writer is especially interested in the turning points significant for the whole Finland. The historical realities in the novel “Mirage 38” are combined with the description of the atmosphere of the prewar period. It was established that Westö's image of Finland is based on the contraposition of the “our” and “others”, actualized at several narrative levels. They are represented by the ideological differences, embodied in the polyphony of the voices of active participants, and by the description of the language barrier between the Swedish and Finnish population of the country. The language barrier is expressed in the use of foreign words, which divides the main characters and creates some distance between them and the readers. The writer also draws a parallel between the events of the 1938th and the time of the civil war, when the Finnish society was divided into two groups. The image of the protagonist turns into a connecting link between alienated citizens of the same country.