Happy Land

A personal view of ‘the world’s happiest country’ from an accidental expat in Finland

Tim Bird arrived in Finland by accident in the early Eighties. More than forty years on, he is still there. He has watched the transformation of his adopted homeland from semi-detached member of the Soviet bloc to modern European nation that tops the rankings, year after year, as ‘the happiest country in the world’.

Does it deserve that status? Do the Finns, known for their hard drinking, their sisu (grit) and their passion for heavy metal, recognise that description of themselves? Telling the story of his own path to Finnish citizenship while also delving into the writings of a 19th-century British traveller, Bird interrogates the claim made on Finland’s behalf.

In this clear-sighted – but never cynical – sideways look at the land of the sauna, the Northern Lights and the Moomins, Bird spotlights the Nordic nation’s distinctive culture, landscape and language. As he helps us understand the Finnish notion of contentment, are there life-lessons for the rest of us?