Aleksis Kivi

Aleksis Kivi
Aleksis Kivi

Earliest known image of Aleksis Kivi. Drawn in 1873 almost certainly by Albert Edelfelt.
Born 10 October 1834(1834-10-10)
Nurmijärvi, Finland
Died 31 December 1872(1872-12-31) (aged 38)
Tuusula, Finland
Notable works Seven Brothers

Aleksis Kivi (About this sound pronunciation ), born Alexis Stenvall, (10 October 1834 – 31 December 1872) was a Finnish author who wrote the first significant novel in the Finnish language, Seven Brothers (Finnish title: Seitsemän veljestä). Although Kivi was among the very earliest authors of prose and lyrics in Finnish language, he is still considered one of the greatest of them all.

Aleksis Kivi was born at Nurmijärvi, Finland, to a tailor's family. In 1846 he left for school in Helsinki, and in 1859 he was accepted to the University of Helsinki, where he studied literature and developed an interest in the theater. His first play was Kullervo, based on a tragic tale from Kalevala. He also met the famous journalist and statesman Johan Vilhelm Snellman.

From 1863 onwards, Kivi devoted his time to writing. He wrote 12 plays and a collection of poetry. The novel Seven Brothers took him ten years to write. Literary critics, especially the prominent August Ahlqvist, disapproved of the book, at least nominally because of its "rudeness" – romanticism was in its forte at the time – but maybe also because it was written in the south-western dialect of Finnish, while Ahlqvist himself preferred north-eastern dialects of his homelands. The Fennomans also disapproved of its depiction of not-so-virtuous rural life that was far from their idealized point of view, and his excessive drinking may have alienated some.

In 1865 Kivi won the State Prize for his still often performed comedy Nummisuutarit (The Cobblers on the Heath). However, the less than enthusiastic reception of his books was taking its toll and he was already drinking heavily. His main benefactor Charlotta Lönnqvist could not help him after the 1860s. Physical deterioration and the development of schizophrenia (suspectedly caused by advanced borreliosis[1]) set in, and Kivi died in poverty at the age of 38.

In 1995-1996, Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara wrote an opera about Kivi's life and works. In 2002 director Jari Halonen's movie The Life of Aleksis Kivi (Finnish title: Aleksis Kiven elämä) premiered in Finnish cinemas.

External links

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Aleksis Kivi — Denkmal in Helsinki …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Aleksis Kivi — Statue d Aleksis Kivi devant le Théâtre national de Finlande d Helsinki Aleksis Kivi (de son vrai nom Alexis Stenvall) est un écrivain finlandais, né à Nurmijärvi le 10 octobre 1834 et décédé à Tuusula le 31 décembre  …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Aleksis Kivi — Primera imagen conocida de Aleksis Kivi. Dibujado en 1873 por Albert Edelfelt. Aleksis Kivi (pronunciación ▶?/i), nacido como Alexis Stenvall …   Wikipedia Español

  • Aleksis-Kivi-Preis — Der Aleksis Kivi Preis (finnisch Aleksis Kiven palkinto) ist ein finnischer Literaturpreis. Er wird seit 1936 durch die Finnische Literaturgesellschaft (Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura) vergeben. Der Aleksis Kivi Preis zeichnet einen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Premio Aleksis Kivi — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda El Premio Aleksis Kivi es un premio a la obra de una vida, otorgado por la Sociedad de Literatura Finesa, destinado a patrocinar la literatura en idioma finés. Actualmente el premio se entrega cada 3 años y su… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Prix Aleksis Kivi — Le prix Aleksis Kivi ((fi)Aleksis Kiven palkinto) est décérné par la Société de littérature finlandaise (SKS) pour récompenser l œuvre d une vie à des écrivains de littérature finnoise. Le prix fut décerné annuellement de 1936 à 1967. Puis… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • KIVI (A.) — Lorsque la Finlande, au sortir de longs siècles de tutelle, accède enfin à une relative indépendance au XIXe siècle, son premier soin est de retrouver sa personnalité: le Kalevala d’Elias Lönnrot la lui révèle; son second souci est de se doter… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Kivi — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Aleksis Kivi (1834–1872), finnischer Nationalschriftsteller Antero Kivi (1904–1981), finnischer Leichtathlet Kalju Kivi (* 1951), estnischer Künstler und Animationsfilmer Maarja Kivi (* 1986), estnische… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Kivi — is a surname, and may refer to:* Aleksis Kivi (1834 1872), Finnish author * Antero Kivi (1904 1981), discus thrower * Maarja Kivi (born 1986), Estonian musicianee also* Kivi Sotamaa (born 1971), Finnish architect * KIVI * Kiwi (disambiguation) …   Wikipedia

  • Aleksis — Infobox Given Name Revised name = Aleksis imagesize= caption= pronunciation= gender = Male meaning = region = origin = related names = Alexis footnotes = Aleksis is a given name, and may refer to:* Aleksis Dreimanis (born 1914), award winning… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”