Rediscovered after gradual oblivion: Lithuania in Finnish literature during the cold war

ENThe aim of this article is to analyze how Lithuania was described in Finnish literature during the Cold War and why it was described in a certain way. The main question can be divided into the following subquestions: How many works about Lithuania were published between 1945 and 1991? How did the publication intensity vary, and what factors explain the variation? What kind of information and images did the works convey about Lithuania? What factors influenced the choice of themes and how were they handled? An essential element in relationships between peoples and states is the type of perceptions or images we have of others and at the same time of ourselves. Our perception of the world is made up of different mental images, and images are made up of a great variety of things. They contain facts, but at the same time they are also affected by misinformation, beliefs, values, hopes, and fears. In short, mental images reflect the entire life experience of individuals and groups of people. [Extract, p. 155]