Hannu Salama

Hannu Salama ( born October 4, 1936 in Kouvola, Kymi ) is a Finnish writer, who was convicted in 1964 for alleged blasphemy in his book midsummer dance and 1975 for the novel Siinä näkijä Missæ tekijä received the Literature Prize of the Nordic Council.

Life

Originally from a working class family Salama spent his childhood in Pispala, a city district of Tampere and initially worked as his father as an electrician and then as a laborer on a farm.

His literary debut came in 1961 with the novel Se tavallinen tarina, but reached only by his 1964 published book Juhannustanssit ( German Title: Midsummer Dance, 1966) wider attention, as he was sentenced to imprisonment for allegedly contained therein blasphemy in 1966, some time was subsequently suspended on probation. Although he was pardoned by President Urho Kekkonen in 1968, published new editions of the midsummer dance until 1990., Only in censored form

In the following years he wrote numerous short stories and other novels such as Mina, Olli yes Orvokki (1967). Despite his own descent from a working class family, he never saw himself as a laborer but man of letters, but have retained its basic critical attitude both towards the political left as well as to the political rights. However, his works also traded over the life of the working class, whose simple problems and controversies with the upper class.

For his 1972 published book Siinä näkijä Missæ tekijä he was in 1975 awarded the Literature Prize of the Nordic Council. Notoriety he achieved above all by its Finlandia sarja (Finland Series) with books such as Kosti Herhiläisen perunkirjoitus (1976 ), Kolera on raju bändi (1977) and Pasi Harvalan tarina I / II (1981 and 1983). In addition, Eino Leino Prize 1985 and 1990, the Aleksis Kivi - Prize he was awarded.

In the broadcast from October to December 2004 television series Suuret Suomalaiset ( Great Finns ) was elected number 82 of the most important personalities of Finland. Last published in 2009 the novel Sydän paikallaan. Many of his books have been filmed for television or cinema.