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Frans Eemil Sillanpää

フランス・エーミル・シッランパー

Frans Eemil Sillanpää

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1888-09-16 （Hämeenkyrö, Grand Duchy of Finland）
Died
1964-06-03 （Helsinki, Finland） age 75
Nationality
Finland
Languages
Finnish

Career

Occupations
Writer
Active Years
1913-1964

Education

University of Helsinki
Faculty of Medicine
Period: 1908–(在学期間と卒業は不明)
Country: Finland
Entered in 1908 to study medicine; completion/graduation unclear.

Awards

Nobel Prize in Literature
1939
Work: The Maid Silja (Nuorena nukkunut)
Organization: The Swedish Academy (Nobel awarding body)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Elämä ja aurinko

1916 Novel / Short fiction

An early collection depicting rural life and the relationship between people and nature.

NatureRural lifeHuman relationship with land

Hurskas kurjuus (Meek Heritage)

1919 Novel

A novel that examines reasons behind the Finnish Civil War with an objective approach; controversial at the time.

Social changeEffects of civil warPeasant life

Nuorena nukkunut (The Maid Silja)

1931 Novel

A major novel portraying the psychology of rural people and their bond with nature; brought international fame.

Inner life of peasantsUnity with natureLife and fate
Adaptations
  • [Film] Silja – nuorena nukkunut / Teuvo Tulio (1937)
Translations
  • The Maid Silja

Ihmiset suviyössä (People in the Summer Night)

1934 Novel

Explores intersections of seasonality and human lives, focusing on natural description and community relations.

SeasonalityCommunityDepiction of nature
Adaptations
  • [Film] Ihmiset suviyössä (People in the Summer Night) / Valentin Vaala (1948)

Bibliography

  • Elämä ja aurinko (1916)
  • Ihmislapsia elämän saatossa (1917)
  • Hurskas kurjuus (1919)
  • Rakas isänmaani (1919)
  • Nuorena nukkunut (1931)

Adaptations

  • Nuorena nukkunut (film, 1937)
  • Ihmiset suviyössä (film, 1948)
  • Silja – nuorena nukkunut (film, 1956)

Translations of Works

  • Nuorena nukkunut — English: The Maid Silja
  • Ihmiset suviyössä — English: People in the Summer Night

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Realistic depiction of nature and peasant lifeCalm, expressive narration
Recurring Motifs
NaturePeasantry and land relationshipPassage of seasons

Health

  • Alcoholism
    1940年代（治療が必要になった時期）
    Required hospitalization and affected his public life and private affairs.

Legacy

Sillanpää was the first Finnish Nobel laureate in literature; his portrayals of peasants and nature earned international acclaim. He gained national popularity through wartime actions (donating his medal for the war effort) and regular radio appearances.

Archives

  • F. E. Sillanpää Society (archive/collections)

In Popular Culture

  • A commemorative postage stamp was issued in 1980.
  • Many works were adapted into films and appear in Finnish film history.

Quotes

  • “for his deep understanding of his country's peasantry and the exquisite art with which he has portrayed their way of life and their relationship with Nature.”
    Source: The Nobel Committee (1939 citation) (1939)

Trivia

  • Asteroid 1446 Sillanpää was named after him (discovered 1938).
  • Shortly after receiving the Nobel Prize he donated his gold medal to be melted to raise funds for the war effort.
  • He became a well-known public figure for his Christmas Eve radio addresses (1945–1963).