Kari Hotakainen

Kari Hotakainen (born 9 January 1957 in Pori, Finland) is a Finnish writer. Hotakainen started his writing career as a reporter in Pori. In 1986, he moved to Helsinki. He became a full-time writer in 1996. He has two children with his wife, sound technician Tarja Laaksonen, whom he married in 1983. He has also worked as a copywriter and as a columnist for the Helsingin Sanomat.^[1]

Life and career

His father, Keijo Hotakainen, worked as a storekeeper and photographer while his mother, Meeri Ala-Kuusisto, worked as a sales clerk. Kari Hotakainen passed his matriculation examination in 1976 and graduated from Rautalampi High School the same year. He has a Bachelor of Arts.^[1]

Hotakainen kicked off his career as an author in the beginning of the 1980s by writing poetry. His debut collection Harmittavat takaiskut (Unfortunate setbacks) was published in 1982. From poetry, Hotakainen moved on to writing books for children and young adults and then on to writing novels for adults. Before he started writing full-time, Hotakainen worked as a news reporter, in the advertising department of WSOY, etc. Hotakainen's breakthrough came when he was nominated for the 1997 Finlandia Prize, for his semi-autobiographical work titled Klassikko (The Classic). In 2002, Hotakainen received the Finlandia Prize for his book titled Juoksuhaudantie (Battle Trench Avenue) published the same year. Later on, the book was turned into a movie with the same name. In 2004, Hotakainen received the Nordic Council's Literature Prize for the same book. In 2006, he received the Nordic Drama Award for his play Punahukka. Hotakainen has also written children's plays, radio dramas, newspaper columns and the scripts for a 10-part TV series titled Tummien vesien tulkit.

Hotakainen was seriously injured in a car accident on 3 March 2012.^[2]

Bibliography

Novels

Buster Keaton: elämä ja teot (1991)
Bronks (1993)
Syntisäkki (1995)
Pariskunta, pukki ja pieni mies (1997)
Klassikko (1997)
Sydänkohtauksia, eli kuinka tehtiin Kummisetä (1999)
Juoksuhaudantie (2002) – Finlandia Prize winner 2002
Iisakin kirkko (2004)
Huolimattomat (2006) – nominated for the Finlandia Prize 2006.
Ihmisen osa (2009)

Poetry

Harmittavat takaiskut (1982)
Kuka pelkää mustaa miestä (1985)
Hot (1987)
Runokirja (1988)
Kalikkakasa, kootut runot (2000)

Children's and young adults' books

Lastenkirja (1990)
Ritva (1997)
Näytän hyvältä ilman paitaa (2000)
Satukirja (2004)

Radio dramas

Puutteellinen (1996)
Hurmaus (1997)
Keihäänheittäjä (1997)
Tulisuihku (1999)
Sitten kun kaikki on ohi (2000)

Plays

Hukassa on hyvä paikka (1999)
Sydänkohtauksia (2002)
Punahukka (2005)

TV series

Tummien vesien tulkit

References

^ ^a ^b "Hotakainen, Kari" (in Finnish). Kuopion kaupunginkirjasto. Archived from the original on 30 October 2007. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
^ Hanna, Junno (5 March 2012). "Kari Hotakainen kuolonkolarissa - hoidetaan teho-osastolla" (in Finnish). 7 päivää. Archived from the original on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2012.

Kari Hotakainen, Iisakin kirkko, WSOY, Juva 2004
Ismo Loivamaa, Kotimaisia nykykertojia 1–2, BTJ Kirjastopalvelu, Helsinki 2003
"Uudet Kirjat, WSOY:n kirjakerho." 28 December 2002. Archived from the original on 28 December 2002. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
"Kari Hotakainen (sarjan Tummien vesien tulkit -käsikirjoittaja) - Tuotanto Oy Säihky". 29 June 2007. Archived from the original on 29 June 2007. Retrieved 31 January 2018.

External links

Awards
Preceded by Sofi Oksanen	Winner of the Runeberg Prize 2010	Succeeded by Tiina Raevaara

[bio-1] "Hotakainen, Kari" (in Finnish). Kuopion kaupunginkirjasto. Archived from the original on 30 October 2007. Retrieved 5 March 2012.

[2] Hanna, Junno (5 March 2012). "Kari Hotakainen kuolonkolarissa - hoidetaan teho-osastolla" (in Finnish). 7 päivää. Archived from the original on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2012.

[1]

[2]

v t e Nordic Council Literature Prize winners
1960s	1962: The Days of His Grace – Eyvind Johnson 1963: Under the North Star 3: Reconciliation – Väinö Linna 1964: The Ice Palace – Tarjei Vesaas 1965: From Hell to Paradise – Olof Lagercrantz and The Good Hope – William Heinesen 1966: Diwan on the Prince of Emgion – Gunnar Ekelöf 1967: Nye noveller – Johan Borgen 1968: Flight of the Eagle – Per Olof Sundman 1969: The Legionnaires – Per Olov Enquist
1970s	1970: Anna, I, Anna – Klaus Rifbjerg 1971: Coast of Slaves, Ships of Slaves & Islands of Slaves – Thorkild Hansen 1972: Sju ord på tunnelbanan – Karl Vennberg 1973: Kersantin poika – Veijo Meri 1974: Uden mål – og med – Villy Sørensen 1975: Siinä näkijä missä tekijä – Hannu Salama 1976: Að laufferjum & Að brunnum – Ólafur Jóhann Sigurðsson 1977: I de mörka rummen, i de ljusa – Bo Carpelan 1978: Dalen Portland – Kjartan Fløgstad 1979: Pubertet – Ivar Lo-Johansson
1980s	1980: Vredens barn – Sara Lidman 1981: Hauströkkrið yfir mér – Snorri Hjartarson 1982: Samuels bok – Sven Delblanc 1983: Om fjorten dage – Peter Seeberg 1984: The Christmas Oratorio – Göran Tunström 1985: A Day in Ostrobothnia – Antti Tuuri 1986: Líkasum – Rói Patursson 1987: Hudløs himmel – Herbjørg Wassmo 1988: Justice Undone – Thor Vilhjálmsson 1989: Roman 1987 – Dag Solstad
1990s	1990: For the Living and the Dead – Tomas Tranströmer 1991: The Sun, My Father – Nils-Aslak Valkeapää 1992: Night Watch – Fríða Á. Sigurðardóttir 1993: Byen og verden – Peer Hultberg 1994: Blackwater – Kerstin Ekman 1995: Angels of the Universe – Einar Már Guðmundsson 1996: Hva skal vi gjøre i dag og andre noveller – Øystein Lønn 1997: Bang. En roman om Herman Bang – Dorrit Willumsen 1998: After Having Spent a Night Among Horses – Tua Forsström 1999: Queen's Gate – Pia Tafdrup
2000s	2000: Drømmebroer – Henrik Nordbrandt 2001: The Discoverer – Jan Kjærstad 2002: The Half Brother – Lars Saabye Christensen 2003: Revbensstäderna – Eva Ström 2004: Juoksuhaudantie – Kari Hotakainen 2005: The Blue Fox – Sjón 2006: The Ocean – Göran Sonnevi 2007: Drömfakulteten – Sara Stridsberg 2008: Baboon – Naja Marie Aidt 2009: I Curse the River of Time – Per Petterson
2010s	2010: Purge – Sofi Oksanen 2011: Between the Trees – Gyrðir Elíasson 2012: Days in the History of Silence – Merethe Lindstrøm 2013: The Prophets of Eternal Fjord – Kim Leine 2014: Mirage 38 – Kjell Westö 2015: Wakefulness, Olav's Dreams & Weariness – Jon Fosse 2016: Songs and Formulae – Katarina Frostenson 2017: Memories of Love – Kirsten Thorup 2018: Hotel Silence – Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir 2019: Efter Solen – Jonas Eika
2020s	2020: Who killed Bambi? – Monika Fagerholm 2021: Flower Valley – Niviaq Korneliussen 2022: Om udregning af rumfang – Solvej Balle 2023: Ihågkom oss till liv – Joanna Rubin Dranger
List of Nordic Council's Literature Prize winners and nominees

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