Frans Eemil Sillanpää (; 16 September 1888 – 3 June 1964) was one of the most famous Finnish writers and in 1939 became the first Finnish writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize for literature "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". His best-known novels include ' (''Nuorena nukkunut'') from 1931.

Early life

Frans Eemil Sillanpää was born into a

peasant A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasa ...

farming family in

Hämeenkyrö Hämeenkyrö (; sv, Tavastkyro) is a municipality of Finland. It is part of the Pirkanmaa region, and is located from Tampere. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . ...

. Although his parents were poor, they managed to send him to school in

Tampere Tampere ( , , ; sv, Tammerfors, ) is a city in the Pirkanmaa region, located in the western part of Finland. Tampere is the most populous inland city in the Nordic countries. It has a population of 244,029; the urban area has a population ...

. At school Sillanpää was a good student and with aid from his benefactor Henrik Liljeroos he entered the

University of Helsinki The University of Helsinki ( fi, Helsingin yliopisto, sv, Helsingfors universitet, abbreviated UH) is a public research university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but founded in the city of Turku (in Swedish ''Åbo'') in 1640 as the R ...

in 1908 to study medicine. Here his acquaintances included the painters Eero Järnefelt and Pekka Halonen, composer

Jean Sibelius Jean Sibelius ( ; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic and early-modern periods. He is widely regarded as his country's greatest composer, and his music is often ...

and author

Juhani Aho Juhani Aho, originally Johannes Brofeldt (11 September 1861 – 8 August 1921), was a Finnish author and journalist. He was nominated for the Nobel prize in literature twelve times. Early life Juhani Aho was born at Lapinlahti in 1861. His p ...

Career

Five years later, in 1913 Sillanpää moved from Helsinki to his old home village and devoted himself to writing. In 1914 Sillanpää wrote articles for the newspaper ''

Uusi Suometar ''Uusi Suomi'' ( Finnish for ''The New Finland'') was a Finnish daily newspaper that was published from 1919 to 1991. The headquarters was in Helsinki, Finland. History and profile ''Uusi Suomi'' was established in 1919 as a continuation of tw ...

''. In 1916 Sillanpää married Sigrid Maria Salomäki, whom he had met in 1914. By principle, Sillanpää was against all forms of violence and believed in scientific optimism. In his work he portrayed rural people as living united with the land. The novel ''Hurskas kurjuus'' (Meek Heritage) (1919) depicted the reasons for

Finnish Civil War The Finnish Civil War; . Other designations: Brethren War, Citizen War, Class War, Freedom War, Red Rebellion and Revolution, . According to 1,005 interviews done by the newspaper ''Aamulehti'', the most popular names were as follows: Civil W ...

, and despite its objectivity, was controversial at the time. Sillanpää won international fame for his novel ''Nuorena nukkunut'' (translated to English as ''The Maid Silja'') in 1931. In 1939, he was awarded the

Nobel Prize in Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...

"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." A few days after he received the prize, talks between Finland and Soviet Union broke down and the

Winter War The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...

began. Sillanpää donated the golden medal to be melted for funds to aid the war effort. Before the Winter War, Sillanpää wrote the lyrics for what is known as '' Sillanpään marssilaulu'' to lift his spirits when his eldest son Esko was partaking in military practices at

Karelian Isthmus The Karelian Isthmus (russian: Карельский перешеек, Karelsky peresheyek; fi, Karjalankannas; sv, Karelska näset) is the approximately stretch of land, situated between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga in northwestern ...

. In 1939 his wife Sigrid died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...

leaving eight children with Sillanpää. Some time after, Sillanpää married his secretary Anna von Hertzen (1900–1983) and traveled to Stockholm to receive the Nobel prize. In 1941 Sillanpää divorced his wife Anna. His alcoholism and other ailments needed hospital treatment. In 1943 he returned to public life as a bearded old 'Grandpa Sillanpää'. His radio appearances, especially his tradition of talking on Christmas Eve from 1945 to 1963 became very popular. The

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...

1446 Sillanpää, discovered on January 26, 1938 by the renowned Finnish astronomer and physicist

Yrjö Väisälä Yrjö Väisälä (; 6 September 1891 – 21 July 1971) was a Finnish astronomer and physicist. His main contributions were in the field of optics. He was also active in geodetics, astronomy and optical metrology. He had an affectionate ni ...

, was named after him.

Death

Sillanpää died on 3 June 1964 in Helsinki aged 75.

Works

* ''Elämä ja aurinko'' (1916) * ''Ihmislapsia elämän saatossa'' (1917) * '' Hurskas kurjuus'' (translated as ''Meek Heritage'') (1919) * ''Rakas isänmaani'' (1919) * ''Hiltu ja Ragnar'' (1923) * ''Enkelten suojatit'' (1923) * ''Omistani ja omilleni'' (1924) * ''Maan tasalta'' (1924) * ''Töllinmäki'' (1925) * ''Rippi'' (1928) * ''Kiitos hetkistä, Herra...'' (1930) * ''Nuorena nukkunut'' (translated as ''The Maid Silja'') (1931) * ''Miehen tie'' (1932) * ''Virranpohjalta'' (1933) * ''Ihmiset suviyössä'' (translated as ''People in the Summer Night'') (1934) * ''Viidestoista'' (1936) * ''Elokuu'' (1941) * ''Ihmiselon ihanuus ja kurjuus'' (1945)

Films

Numerous of his works have been made into films: * ''Nuorena nukkunut'',

Teuvo Tulio Theodor Antonius Tugai (23 August 1912 – 8 June 2000), better known as Teuvo Tulio, was a Finnish film director and actor. Beginning his career as an actor at the end of the silent era, Tulio turned to directing and producing in the 1930s. His ...

. 1937 * '' One Man's Faith'', Nyrki Tapiovaara and Hugo Hytönen. 1940 * '' Ihmiset suviyössä'',

Valentin Vaala Valentin Vaala (born Valentin Yakovich Ivanoff, Russian: Валентин Якович Иванов; 13 October 1909 in Helsinki – 21 November 1976 in Helsinki) was a Finnish film director, screenwriter and film editor. His career spanned sever ...

. 1948 * ''Poika eli kesäänsä'',

Roland af Hällström Gustaf Gabriel Roland af Hällström (23 August 1905 – 21 February 1956) was a Finnish film director. During his career, he directed 20 films, including ''Pikajuna pohjoiseen'' (1947), ''Läpi usvan'' (1948), ''Tukkijoella'' (1951), ''Noita palaa ...

. 1955 (based on novel ''Elämä ja aurinko'') * ''

The Harvest Month ''The Harvest Month'' ( fi, Elokuu) is a 1956 Finnish drama film directed by Matti Kassila. It was entered into the 1957 Cannes Film Festival. Cast * Toivo Mäkelä as Viktor Sundvall * Emma Väänänen as Saimi Sundvall * Rauni Luoma as Maij ...

'',

Matti Kassila Matti Kassila (12 January 1924 – 13 December 2018) was a Finnish film director who achieved fame as one of the most prominent Finnish filmmakers in the 1950s and 1960s. He is most famous for the series of four Inspector Palmu movies, based on ...

. 1956 * ''Silja – nuorena nukkunut'',

Jack Witikka Jack Witikka (20 December 1916 – 28 January 2002; surname until 1942 ''Jakobsson'') was a Finnish film director and screenwriter. He directed 15 films between 1951 and 1968. His 1961 film ''Little Presents'' was entered into the 12th Berli ...

. 1956 * ''

The Glory and Misery of Human Life ''The Glory and Misery of Human Life'' ( fi, Ihmiselon ihanuus ja kurjuus) is a 1988 Finnish drama film directed and written by Matti Kassila starring Lasse Pöysti, Liisamaija Laaksonen and Tuula Nyman. It is based on the novel by F.E. Sillanpä ...

'', Matti Kassila. 1988

References

External links

"The Game Behind Finland's First Nobel prize"
article (in Swedish; based on documents in the Nobel Archive), first published in

Svenska Dagbladet ''Svenska Dagbladet'' (, "The Swedish Daily News"), abbreviated SvD, is a daily newspaper published in Stockholm, Sweden. History and profile The first issue of ''Svenska Dagbladet'' appeared on 18 December 1884. During the beginning of the ...

, 5 December 2009; later published in the Finnish daily newspaper

Helsingin Sanomat ''Helsingin Sanomat'', abbreviated ''HS'' and colloquially known as , is the largest subscription newspaper in Finland and the Nordic countries, owned by Sanoma. Except after certain holidays, it is published daily. Its name derives from that o ...

.
F. E. Sillanpään Seura
*
List of Works
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sillanpaa, Frans Eemil 1888 births 1964 deaths People from Hämeenkyrö People from Turku and Pori Province (Grand Duchy of Finland) Writers from Pirkanmaa Finnish Nobel laureates Finnish-language writers Nobel laureates in Literature 20th-century Finnish novelists