About the work
Heath Cobblers (Finnish: Nummisuutarit) is a five-act rural comedy that the Finnish national author Aleksis Kivi wrote in 1864. It premiered posthumously on 24 September 1875 in Oulu and won the state prize for drama in 1865.
Plot
Cobbler Topias and his wife Martta scheme to marry off their dim-witted son Esko quickly, hoping to secure an inheritance promised to whoever weds first, ahead of their foster daughter Jaana. Esko's botched proposal, a drunken misunderstanding and a clever disguise drive a chain of confusion that ends with Jaana marrying her true love Kristo and generously sharing the inheritance with the cobbler family.
Cultural significance
The play ranks among the classics of Finnish literature, has been translated into more than ten languages and adapted into film three times, in 1923, 1938 and 1957.