Jaakko Syrjä (7 March 1926[2] – 22 May 2022) was a Finnish writer.[3] He served as the president of the Union of Finnish Writers from 1975 to 1980.[1]

Biography

Syrjä was born in Pälkäne, the son of Martta née Niemiö and Juho Nestori Syrjä, who were both cattle traders and farmers.[2] At the age of seven, he and his family moved from Hirsilä to Korkeakoski.[2] Syrjä then moved to Tampere,[2] where he worked for the railroad equipment and steam locomotive manufacturing company Lokomo.[4] In 1953 his story "There came the Bear" won the Best Short Story prize in the Pirkanmaa Writing Competition.[2]

Syrjä (left) with his wife, Kirsi Kunnas and their two children

He later worked as an editor for Gummerus and WSOY.[5]

In 1957, Syrjä married poet and children's literature author Kirsi Kunnas.[6]

Syrjä was a member of the Union of Finnish Writers from 1970 to 1975,[2] and president from 1975 to 1980.[1] He worked with novelist Kalle Päätalo adapting works for publication.[4] Syrjä was a member of the Väinö Linna Society.[2]

Syrjä won the City of Tampere Literature Prize three times from 1956 to 1988.[7] He also was a winner of the Thanks for the Book Award in 1966.[7] Syrjä was nominated for the Finlandia Prize in 1988.[1] He was a winner of the Väinö Linna Prize in 2005.[7] In 2016, Syrjä was awarded the Pirkanmaa Art Prize by the Pirkanmaa Arts Council.[8]

Kunnas died in her sleep at home in Ylöjärvi on 8 November 2021, at the age of 96.[9] Six months later, on 22 May 2022, at a care home in Ylöjärvi, Syrjä died of COVID-19, also at the age of 96.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Author Jaakko Syrjä is dead". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 22 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Jaakko Syrjä" (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 30 May 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2022 – via Wayback Machine.
  3. ^ Aaltio, Marja. "90-year-old writer Jaakko Syrjä would have liked to have written more". Aamulehti (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 4 August 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  4. ^ a b Majander, Antti (8 March 2016). "This man summed up the texts of Kalle Päätalo: during the barning phase, the author just tapped the end of the work". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  5. ^ Writers' Gallery (16 June 2004), "Tampere City Library", Pirkanmaan Aluetietokanta (in Finnish)
  6. ^ Jääskeläinen, Kirsi (6 December 2020). "Kirsi Kunnas ponnisti köyhistä oloista sodan keskeltä suomalaisten suosikkikirjailijaksi – nyt 95-vuotias taiteilija julkaisi viimeisen kirjansa". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  7. ^ a b c "Syrjä, Jaakko". Book Ampoule (in Finnish). Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  8. ^ Ruissalo, Pekka (16 November 2016). "Jaakko Syrjä receives the Pirkanmaa Art Prize". Tamperelainen (in Finnish). Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Taiteen akateemikko ja kirjailija Kirsi Kunnas on kuollut 96-vuotiaana" (in Finnish). Helsingin Sanomat. 8 November 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
Allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaakko_Syrj%C3%A4
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