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Paavo Haavikko

パーヴォ・ハーヴィッコ

Paavo Haavikko

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1931-01-25 （Helsinki, Finland）
Died
2008-10-06 （Helsinki, Finland） age 77
Nationality
Finland
Languages
Finnish
Residence History
Helsinki (born and long-term residence)

Career

Occupations
poet, playwright, essayist, publisher, librettist
Active Years
1951-2008
Affiliations
Otava (publisher), Art House (publisher)
Influenced By
Modernist literature, Finnish modern poets
Influenced
Subsequent generations of Finnish writers and poets

Education

Kallio Coeducational School
Year of Graduation: 1951
Country: Finland
Graduated in 1951. Published first poetry collection shortly after graduation.

Awards

Aleksis Kivi Prize
1966
Organization: Finnish Literature Society
Result: 受賞
Pro Finlandia Medal
1967
Organization: State of Finland (medal)
Result: 受賞
Honorary Doctorate, University of Helsinki
1969
Organization: University of Helsinki
Result: 受賞
Knight First Class of the Order of the White Rose of Finland
1978
Organization: State of Finland (order)
Result: 叙勲
Neustadt International Prize for Literature
1984
Organization: University of Oklahoma / Neustadt Prize
Result: 受賞
Swedish Academy Nordic Prize
1993
Organization: Swedish Academy
Result: 受賞
America Award in Literature
2007
Organization: America Award committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Talvipalatsi (The Winter Palace)

1959 poetry

One of Haavikko's seminal poetry collections, using images of kings, palaces, gardens and woods to blend personal emotion with social and political undertones.

kingspalacesgardenswoodspowerlove
Adaptations
  • [opera libretto] Ratsumies (The Horseman) / Aulis Sallinen（作曲） (1974)
Translations
  • English translations exist (selections and excerpts)

One and Twenty

1974 poetry

A collection including works from the 1970s. An English translation by Anselm Hollo was published in 2007.

timeageingmemory
Translations
  • English translation: One and Twenty (2007)

Kullervo's Story

1982 prose / narrative

A work drawing on the Finnish epic Kalevala, projecting mythic and historical contexts through a modern perspective.

mythfatehistory

Bibliography

  • Tiet etäisyyksiin (1951)
  • Tuuliöinä (1953)
  • Synnyinmaa (1955)
  • Lehdet lehtiä (1958)
  • Talvipalatsi (1959)
  • Kaksikymmentä ja yksi (1974)
  • Viisi sarjaa nopeasti virtaavasta elämästä (1987)
  • Prosperon runot (2001)

Adaptations

  • Ratsumies (opera based on Haavikko's libretto, composed by Aulis Sallinen)
  • Kuningas lähtee Ranskaan (libretto)
  • Rauta-aika (TV series related works / thematic adaptation)

Translations of Works

  • Selections from Talvipalatsi translated into English
  • Kaksikymmentä ja yksi → One and Twenty (English translation 2007)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
modernist, symbolic poetic languagecalm, intellectual tone with fragmented imagery
Recurring Motifs
kingspalacesgardenswoodslove and deathreferences to politics and economy

Legacy

Regarded as one of postwar Finland's leading writers, Haavikko left a substantial legacy across poetry, drama, libretti, essays and publishing. He influenced domestic and international readers and writers and received numerous honors.

Academic Societies

  • Finnish Literature Society (Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura)

Archives

  • Otava publisher archives (related materials)
  • Finnish national / literary archives

In Popular Culture

  • His poetic world has been referenced in TV series such as Rauta-aika and in operas.

Quotes

  • 'The Winter Palace' is "one of the great poems of the century."
    Source: Praise by John Ashbery (quoted)

Trivia

  • Published more than 70 works.
  • Poems translated into at least 12 languages.
  • Awarded the Pro Finlandia Medal in 1967.
  • His family owned a peat-production business.
  • At his death in 2008, reports indicated the family inherited approximately €3 million.