Helvi Hämäläinen
Helvi Hämäläinen (16 June 1907 – 17 January 1998) was a Finnish author who published dozens of books of prose and poetry during her six decade writing career.[1]
Helvi Heleena Hämäläinen was born in Hamina, but moved to Helsinki with her parents Aaro and Iida Hämäläinen while still a pre-schooler. Hämäläinen's first novel, Hyväntekijä (Finnish: The Benefactor) appeared in 1930, but her breakthrough came five years later with her portrait of the working-class Katuojan vettä (Finnish: Water in a Gutter). Hämäläinen's best-known book, Säädyllinen murhenäytelmä (Finnish: Respectable Tragedy), appeared in 1941. A roman à clef, it caused a great sensation: readers were able to identify several notable cultural personalities of the day, Hämäläinen's former lover Olavi Paavolainen among them.[2][3]
She was awarded the Pro Finlandia Medal in 1959.[4]
In 1987, after two decades out of the spotlight, Hämäläinen returned to the public eye when her book of poems, Sukupolveni unta (Finnish: Dreams of My Generation), won the Finlandia Prize.[2]
Helvi Hämäläinen died at the age of 90 on 17 January 1998. She is buried in the Orthodox cemetery of Helsinki.
References
- ^ "Hämäläinen, Helvi". The History of Nordic Women's Literature. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
- ^ a b "Hämäläinen, Helvi". Biografiskt lexikon för Finland (in Swedish). Svenska litteratursällskapet. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
- ^ Liukkonen, Petri. "Hämäläinen, Helvi". Books and Writers. Archived from the original on 2006-12-08. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Pro Finlandia
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1907 births
- 1998 deaths
- People from Hamina
- People from Viipuri Province (Grand Duchy of Finland)
- Writers from Kymenlaakso
- Finnish women novelists
- 20th-century Finnish poets
- Recipients of the Eino Leino Prize
- Finlandia Prize winners
- Finnish women poets
- 20th-century Finnish women writers
- 20th-century Finnish novelists