Rabbe Arnfinn Enckell (3 March 1903 – 17 June 1974) was a Finnish writer and poet. Enckell is regarded as one of the stalwarts of the Swedo-Finnish poetic revival that began in the 1920s. Enckell was born in Tammela,

Tavastia Proper Tavastia or Tavastland may refer to: * Häme (Swedish: ''Tavastland'', Latin: ''Tavastia'') * Tavastia (historical province), a historical province of the kingdom of Sweden, located in modern-day Finland * Tavastia (constituency), formerly Tavast ...

. He studied art in France and Italy. In 1923 he brought out his first poetry collection, entitled ''Dikter''. It was a collection of

impressionistic Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passag ...

nature poems. The collection and its sequel, Flöjtblåsarlycka (''The Flutist’s Happiness''), which was published in 1925, were contained Enckell's vivid description of the changes in nature. Enckell was a

modernist Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

. For a year in 1928-29 he worked for the avant-garde journal ''Quosego''. He then wrote a couple of semi-autobiographical novels, which included ''Ljusdunkel'' (1930). He returned to poetry with the publication of ''The Cistern of Spring'' (1931). He followed it with ''The Sounding Board'' (1935). The modernist streak in his poetry prompted comparisons with

T.S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biogr ...

. Enckell brought out another collection of poems, ''The Vault'', which was published in 1937. He died in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

, aged 71.

Works

* ''Dikter'' (''Poems'', poems, 1923) * ''Flöjtblåsarlyckan'' (''Flautist's Luck'', poems, 1925) * ''Tillblivelse'' (''Genesis'', short stories, 1929) * ''Ljusdunkel'' (short stories, 1930), * ''Ett porträtt'' (''A Portrait'', short stories, 1931) * ''Vårens cistern'' (''The Cistern of Spring'', poems, 1931) * ''Landskapet med den dubbla skuggan'' (''The Landscape with Double Shadows'', poems, 1933) * ''Tonbrädet'' (poems, 1935) * ''Herrar till natt och dag'' (short stories, 1937). * ''Lutad över brunnen'' (''Learning over the Well'', poems, 1942) * ''Andedräkt av koppar'' (''Breath of Copper'', poems, 1947), * ''Sett och återbördat'' (1950) * ''Essay om livets framfart'' (''An Essay about the Ravages of Life, a collection of essays'', 1961) * ''Det är dags'' (1965) * ''Flyende spegel'' (1974)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Enckell, Rabbe 1903 births 1974 deaths People from Tammela, Finland People from Häme Province (Grand Duchy of Finland) Finnish people of German descent Finnish writers in Swedish Finnish poets in Swedish University of Helsinki alumni Recipients of the Eino Leino Prize 20th-century Finnish poets