15 Facts About Paavo Haavikko

Paavo Juhani Haavikko was a Finnish poet, playwright, essayist and publisher, considered one of the country's most outstanding writers.

Paavo Haavikko published more than 70 works, and his poems have been translated to 12 languages.

Paavo Haavikko's father was a bookbinder and later worked in the import business.

In 1951, Haavikko graduated from the Kallio Coeducational School, and published his first collection of poems.

Paavo Haavikko was at the forefront of the emerging modernist movement in Finland, and in the following decades he had a profound influence on many other genres as well.

Marja-Liisa Vartio died in 1966, and Paavo Haavikko stopped writing for a long time.

Paavo Haavikko started his career as a poet, but he published in almost every genre of literature.

Paavo Haavikko's drama has seldom been played on traditional theatre scenes.

Paavo Haavikko placed many of his works in historical context but included references to more modern politics, such as Juho Kusti Paasikivi and Stalin in his play Agricola ja kettu, or Urho Kaleva Kekkonen as a Viking ruler.

Paavo Haavikko scrutinized Finland's leading politicians and civil servants in his column in weekly magazine Suomen Kuvalehti.

Images occurring often in Paavo Haavikko's poetry included the king, palaces, gardens, and the woods.

Paavo Haavikko was talented in describing love, romantic and relationships between men and women.

The high opinion of Paavo Haavikko's poetry was not confined to his home country: John Ashbery considered The Winter Palace as "one of the great poems of the century".

From 1967 to 1983, Paavo Haavikko was literary director of the Otava publishing company, and from 1989 to his death owner of the Art House publishing company.

Paavo Haavikko's works represent many different literary genres, including the librettos for the two operas.