Nummisuutarit

play by Kivi

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 1, 2026

Quick Summary

Nummisuutarit is a Finnish play written by Aleksis Kivi in 1864. It is described as a rural comedy that tells the story of a simple-minded and gullible young man whose courtship is unsuccessful. Kivi is considered the father of the Finnish novel and drama, and he created Finland's modern literary language. Nummisuutarit, along with Kihlaus (1867), are among his most famous plays. Kivi's work paved the way for Finnish-language drama.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Aleksis Kivi
…plays are the rural comedies Nummisuutarit (1864; “Shoemakers of the Heath”), the story of the unsuccessful courting of a simple-minded and gullible youth, and Kihlaus (1867; “Fugitives”). Kivi’s Seitsemän veljestä (1870; Seven Brothers), the first novel written in Finnish, tells the story of some freedom-loving village youths who take to…
Read More
…plays are the rural comedies Nummisuutarit (1864; “Shoemakers of the Heath”), the story of the unsuccessful courting of a simple-minded and gullible youth, and Kihlaus (1867; “Fugitives”). Kivi’s Seitsemän veljestä (1870; Seven Brothers), the first novel written in Finnish, tells the story of some freedom-loving village youths who take to…
Read More