Famous Finnish Poets

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 1 
Johan Ludvig Runeberg
(Considered as the National Poet of Finland)
Johan Ludvig Runeberg
3
Birthdate: February 5, 1804
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Jakobstad, Finland
Died: May 6, 1877

Johan Ludvig Runeberg was a Finnish priest and poet. He is credited with writing Vårt land, the unofficial national anthem of Finland, and is regarded as a national poet of the country. As a priest, Runeberg was involved in the modernization of Virsikirja and produced numerous texts for the new edition. Johan Ludvig Runeberg is an aconic figure in Finland. 

 2 
Jenni Haukio
(Poet & the First Lady of Finland)
Jenni Haukio
4
Birthdate: April 7, 1977
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Pori, Finland

Jenni Haukio is a Finnish poet best known as the wife of the popular politician and President Sauli Väinämö Niinistö. Haukio is currently the First Lady of Finland. In 1999, her first poetry collection won Runo-Kaarina, a national debut poet contest.

 3 
Mauno Manninen
(Finnish Painter, Poet, and Theatre Director)
Mauno Manninen
3
Birthdate: June 26, 1915
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Helsinki, Finland
Died: September 14, 1969

Mauno Manninen was a Finnish painter, poet, and theatre director. He is best remembered for founding Intimiteatteri, one of Helsinki's most important theatres from 1949 to 1987. Mauno Manninen is also known as the son of the famous poet Otto Manninen.  

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 4 
Eino Leino
(A Pioneer of Finnish poetry and A National Poet of Finland)
Eino Leino
2
Birthdate: July 6, 1878
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Paltamo, Finland
Died: January 10, 1926

Apart from being a journalist, Eino Leino also redefined Finnish poetry by including folk elements. His works include literary criticism in newspapers such as Päivälehti and Helsingin Sanomat. Most of his works were inspired by the epic Kalevala, while he also a pioneer of national romanticism in Finland’s literary world.

 5 
Edith Södergran
(One of the Best Modern Swedish-Language Poets)
Edith Södergran
2
Birthdate: April 4, 1892
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: St. Petersburg, Russia
Died: June 24, 1923

Edith Södergran was a Finnish poet whose poetry has influenced numerous lyrical poets all over the world. Counted among the greatest Swedish-language poets of modernism, Södergran's work continues to influence Swedish-language musical lyrics and poetry. Edith Södergran did not live long enough to experience the appreciation of her poetry as she died at the age of 31 due to tuberculosis.

 6 
Zachris Topelius
(Finnish Writer, Poet and Historian Best Known for Writing Finnish Historical Novels in Swedish)
Zachris Topelius
2
Birthdate: January 14, 1818
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Nykarleby, Finland
Died: March 12, 1898

Finnish writer, poet, historian, and journalist Zachris Topelius is best remembered for writing Finnish historical novels in Swedish language, which were later translated into Finnish. His notable works include the fairy tales The Tomten in Åbo Castle and Sampo Lappelill., and the poem Sov du lilla videung. Topelius served as professor and later as rector of the University of Helsinki.

 7 
Uuno Kailas
(One of the Most Prominent Finnish Poet of the 1930s)
Uuno Kailas
1
Birthdate: March 29, 1901
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Heinola
Died: March 22, 1933

Uuno Kailas was a Finnish writer, poet, and translator. He is often counted among the most important Finnish poets of the 1930s. He published an impressive collection of poetry and translations before succumbing to schizophrenia and tuberculosis at the age of 31.

 8 
Paavo Haavikko
(One of the Most Respected Finnish Authors and a Major Figure of the Modernist Movement)
Paavo Haavikko
1
Birthdate: January 25, 1931
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Helsinki, Finland
Died: October 6, 2008

Paavo Haavikko is regarded as one of Finland’s best-known authors. The son of a bookbinder, he began his literary career as a poet and later spearheaded Finland’s modernist movement. He soared to fame with his iconic poem Talvipalatsi, or The Winter Palace, and also penned plays, novels, and short stories.

 9 
Veijo Meri
(Finnish Novelist, Dramatist and Poet Known for His Works Depicting War and Its Absurdity)
Veijo Meri
1
Birthdate: December 31, 1928
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Vyborg, Russia
Died: June 21, 2015

Finnish novelist, dramatist and poet Veijo Meri, whose oeuvre includes novels, essays, poetry and short stories, is best-known for his works on war and its absurdity and often includes dark humour. Two of his notable works are The Manila rope and Beneath the Polar Star: Glimpses of Finnish History. He also wrote a biography of noted Finnish writer Aleksis Kivi.

 10 
Eeva-Liisa Manner
(One of the Most Influential Modernists in Post-War Finland)
Eeva-Liisa Manner
1
Birthdate: December 5, 1921
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Helsinki, Finland
Died: July 7, 1995

Eeva-Liisa Manner was a Finnish playwright, poet, and translator. Counted among the most influential and important modernists in post-war Finland, Manner's work has been translated into numerous European languages. She also translated many works of popular writers like William Shakespeare and Franz Kafka into Finnish.    

 11 
Frans Mikael Franzén
(Finnish-Swedish Poet and Bishop of the Diocese of Härnösand)
Frans Mikael Franzén
1
Birthdate: February 9, 1772
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Oulu, Finland
Died: August 14, 1847

Finnish-Swedish poet Frans Mikael Franzén, who had been the Bishop of the Diocese of Härnösand, was also one of the pioneers of the Romantic movement in Sweden. Initially a professor of philosophy, he later reformed Swedish poetry, inspired by the likes of Shakespeare and Milton.

 12 
Tuomas Anhava
(Finnish Writer and Poet)
Tuomas Anhava
0
Birthdate: June 5, 1927
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Finland
Died: January 22, 2001

Tuomas Anhava was a Finnish writer and poet. Although he never achieved any significant success during his lifetime, Anhava is revered for the impact he has had on other Finnish poets. Apart from writing poems, Tuomas Anhava also worked as the editor-in-chief of Parnasso

 13 
Rabbe Enckell
(Finnish Poet and Writer Who played a Major Role in the Swedo-Finnish Poetic Revival)
Rabbe Enckell
0
Birthdate: March 3, 1903
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Tammela, Finland
Died: June 17, 1974

Rabbe Enckell was a Finnish poet and writer. He is best remembered for playing a major role in the Swedo-Finnish poetic revival that started in the 1920s. A modernist, Rabbe Enckell also worked for the avant-garde publication, Quosego

 14 
Bertel Gripenberg
(Finland-Swedish Poet Who Received Nomination for the Nobel Prize in Literature for Fourteen Times)
Bertel Gripenberg
0
Birthdate: September 19, 1878
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: St. Petersburg, Russia
Died: May 6, 1947

Distinguished Finland-Swedish poet Baron Gripenberg spawned notable poetry collections such as Under fananEfter striden and Den hemliga goldenI besides translating into Swedish prominent works like the Ballad of Reading Gaol by Oscar Wilde and the novel The Song of the Blood-Red Flower by Johannes Linnankoski. He received nomination for the Nobel Prize in Literature for fourteen times.