Ina ja Tito – Kohtauksia Collianderien taiteilijaliitosta

Annina Holmberg & Olli Löytty, Ina ja Tito – Kohtauksia Collianderien taiteilijaliitosta, Helsinki: Kirjapaja, 2020

Ina ja Tito – Kohtauksia Collianderien taiteilijaliitosta is an immersive book about the life of artist Ina Colliander (née Behrsen) and author Tito Colliander. The book focuses on specific scenes and periods in their lives, and shines light on the challenges and moments of happiness in their artistic union. Of particular interest from the point of view of religious studies are the parts telling about Ina’s and Tito’s orthodox faith. Their life together becomes a long-lasting balancing between art, religiosity and everyday bread.

The book seems topical in many ways. Ina and Tito were both born in St. Petersburg and fled the Russian Revolution to Finland. The beginning of the book vividly describes how Tito and his family escapes from Russia and the mental wounds the war makes into their minds. For most of their lives Ina and Tito shared the fear of hunger. The book also tells about their ability to move across borders between different countries, cultures and languages. In a way, it actualizes the theses Olli Löytty brings forth in his widely discussed essay collection Jäähyväiset kotimaiselle kirjallisuudelle (Teos 2021): we should leave behind the idea of Finnish literature and except that literature (and art) is rarely bound to any nationality. Defining Ina and Tito as Finnish artists and authors is challenging due to their constant mixing and matching of languages and movement across countries and cultures.  

Nina Kokkinen