Prominent Finnish poet, essayist, dramatist, and fiction writer, winner of the Neudstadt International Prize for Literature in 1984. Paavo Haavikko emerged from the modernist movement that started in Finland in the 1950s. His first collection of poetry, Tiet etäisyyksiin, came out in 1951. Haavikko published highly original and critically acclaimed works in almost every conceivable literary form from poetry and novels to radio and television plays and opera librettos.

In debt for goose eggs, don't take a loan for duck eggs.
When the rate's ten per cent, it draws gold down from the moon.
When they're buying, sell. Buy when they're selling.
First think slowly, the act quickly.
Get out of bad business fast.
       Forget them.
A hundred years from now this is a hundred years ago.
Never be afraid of the obvious.
(from In the World / Maailmassa, 1974, Contemporary Finnish Poetry, edited and translated by Herbert Lomas, Newcastle upon Tyne: Bloodaxe Books, 1991, p. 143)

Paavo Haavikko was born into a business family, the third son of Heikki Haavikko and Rauha Pyykönen. From an early age, Haavikko sufferd from a slight speech impediment – he was unable to pronounce the letter "r" correctly. At school, he was bullied. He refused to learn what was taught. "Paha asia on ettei hän tahdo oppia mitään mitä ei osaa. Sellainen oppiminen on hänestä ihmisluonnon vastaista, ja tulee aina olemaan," Haavikko recalled his school years. (Vuosien aurinkoiset varjot by Paavo Haavikko, Helsinki: Art House, 1994, p. 50) Because of poor eyesight Haavikko had trouble seeing the chalkboard.

Haavikko's father, a bookbinder, established his own business, beginning to import office supplies and paper goods. He died at the age of 64 in 1951. In the same year  Haavikko graduated from the Kallio Coeducational School, and published his first collection of poems, Tiet etäisyyksiin (1951, The Roads That Lead Far Away). This collection, which showed none of the weaknesses of an apprentice effort, already included some of Haavikko's favorite images – the king, palaces, gardens, and the woods.

During his service in the army in 1951-52 in Hamina, Haavikko's appendix burst. While in the training school he also tutored the daughter of a sergeant-major in mathematics and read an economics book. Before turning to writing, Haavikko worked for a period at the family business. In the fifties Haavikko was at the forefront of the emerging modernist movement, and in the following decades he went on to have a profound influence on many other genres as well. As a result of his literary achievements, he became the leading writer of his generation and of the entire postwar period in Finland.

In Talvipalatsi (1959, The Winter Palace) Haavikko developed the modernist technique to its most crystallized form. This collection is considered the highest achievements of the new poetry. Helsingin Sanomat did not review the book after losing a case again Haavikko regarding Paula Talaskivi's parody 'Hulluus kukkii keveästi' on his play Münchhausen (1958). This writing had appeared in Ilta-Sanomat on March 19, 1958. "Niin vapaa kuin arvostelijan onkin saatava mielipiteensä muodostamisessa ja ilmaisemisessa olla, niin häntäkin sitovat laki ja hyvät tavat, joita jokaisen kansalaisen, siis arvostelijankin, on noudatettava," Haavikko argued in his complaint. ('"Münchhausenilla" täysi sali: Arvostelija ja kirjailija raastuvassa,' Helsingin Sanomat, No. 137, 23.05.1958, p. 5)

"Silver that I chase images into juxtaposed to make them speak," Haavikko stated in the 'First Poem'. His concerns were the problems and conditions of writing, his relationship with language, or the world, where possibilities are limited. Toinen taivas ja maa (1961, Another Heaven and Another Earth) dissected events leading to a double suicide. Vuodet (1962, Years) dispassionately described the life of a tramp. Haavikko's own skeptical philosophy about the world, based on opposition to totalitarian ideologies and to liberal compromises, was already developed in his early novels and plays.

Haavikko was first married to the prominent writer Marja-Liisa Vartio (1924-1966) and then to Ritva Rainio. The tragic death of his first wife was a shattering blow to him. She had gone swimming in colf water; this resulted in a very high fever which turned into pneumonia. Moreover, at hospital a wrong diagnosis led to the wrong treatment and a delay in starting the right treatment. "Koomaan vaipunut Marja-Liisa käytetään Moision sairaalassa Mikkelissä jossa todetaan että hän on aivokuollut eikä voi herätä tai elää. On kuuma kesäaika ja sairaala ei voi sitoa liian pientä, loma-ajan harventamaa henkilöstöä kuolleen elossa pitämiseen. He tahtovat irrottaa letkut. Haluatteko olla läsnä, Haavikolta kysytään. Hän miettii hetken. Ja vastaa, että en." (Prospero: Muistelmat vuosilta 1967-1995 by Paavo Haavikko, Helsinki: Art House, 1995, pp. 269-270) According to Haavikko's friend Mauno Saari, he never fully recovered from the loss of and never stopped blaming himself for her death. Johanna, their daughter, died in 1996.

From 1983 Haavikko and Ritva Haavikko had separate living arrangements. She was aware of his affairs but they did not divorce. Haavikko lived in Kirkkonummi, where he wrote his major later works, and in Helsinki. From 1998 they were in daily contact by phone, or met at Café Ekberg. When they traveled together, they always had separate rooms. Haavikko didn't leave anything to her in his will.

In the 1960s Haavikko published only one collection of poetry, Puut, kaikki heidän vihreytensä (1966, The Trees, All Their Green), which sarcastically interprets Finland's recent history. His shift from poetry to prose occurred in the period when a new type of writer emerged on the literary scene – an active debater, who gives statements to the media. Pamphlets, documentary novels, and reports were considered a faster way to analyze social change than novels. As an early start to this period Haavikko wrote Yksityisiä asioita (1960, Private Matters), which is about a fact-and-object-obsessed salesman who refuses to become involved. The short story 'Lumeton aika' (publ. as 'Before History Begins', in the anthology The Short Story Today, New York, 1967) is a dispirited story about Finland where "progressive forces" have taken power and apparently built a typical socialist order.

After spending some time in the real estate game, Haavikko joined Otava, a family-owned publishing company, the largest in its field in Finland. He worked as the literary director from 1967, becoming also a member of the board. It has been claimed – very exaggeratedly – that Haavikko restored Otava's financial health and literary profile. Nevertheless, Haavikko was forced to resign from his post in 1982. The relationship between Olli Reenpää, the CEO of Otava and Haavikko had become too strained, but Haavikko's leaving the company was widely reported to be voluntary.

Not surprisingly, Haavikko founded in 1989 his own publishing firm, the Art House – he often said that he was not a writer, it was not his profession. During the financial crisis of 1990, the business was on the brink of bankruptcy.

Thanks to the work of Kimmo Pietiäinen, Art House gained fame for its focus on non-fiction literature, science, physics, mathematics, and other "hard" sciences. James Gleick's Kaaos, translated into Finnish by Raimo Keskinen, was a surprise success; its initial edition of five thousand copies was sold out in one month. Against expectations, Simone de Beauvoir's Vanhuus, which had created much discussion in France, didn't sell well in Finnish translation, but Peter Englund's Pultava sold, over the years, about 50,000 copies.

The covers of the publications were not always designed to grab the readers' attention. For some reason, especially this was the case with Haavikko's own books. Jalava Kustannus was a profitable unit. Haavikko bought the comic book publisher in 1988.

Haavikko was an impulsive decision-maker. When investments in the stock market or forests were his top priority, Art House was constanly short of cash. The publishing house never grew as large and prosperous as he had hoped. (Its turnover in 2001 was 10 million FIM.) Heikki Haavikko became the managing director in 2002. 

As an investor in stock, Haavikko developed a reputation as a business guru. This was the facade that he wanted the world to know. Mauno Saari claims in the controversial biography Haavikko-niminen mies (200), that under the influence of Catovit tablets Haavikko made some bad investments, too. The tablets he got from a lady friend. Haavikko's son Heikki Haavikko refuted the claim in Paavo Haavikko, isä (2015): his father abhorred drugs.

In 1969 Haavikko was made an honorary Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Helsinki. Besides the Neudstadt International Prize, his other awards included the Finnish State Award for Literature (1959, 1961, 1963, 1967, 1971, 1975, 1982), the Eino Leino Prize (1963), the Aleksis Kivi Award (1969), Swedish Academy Nordic Prize (1993), the Poeta Finlandiae (1996), and the Union of Finnish Writers' Award (2008). In 1996 Haavikko won the Nordic Council Drama Competition, but declined to attend the celebration. Haavikko's experience as a businessman and investor provided him with an understanding of economics, which was a great benefit to the Union of Finnish Writers.

Haavikko cultivated numerous genres side by side: poetry, aphorisms, and works that are syntheses of these genres, among them his book on civil liberties, Kansalaisvapaudesta (1989). Company histories written by Haavikko were a kind of status symbols. He was paid well for them. Barr-niminen mies (1976, Man Called Barr), published under the pseudonym of Anders Lieksman, was a spy novel, which explored the complexities of identity. "Päällisin puolin Barr-niminen mies on agenttiromaani ja agenttiromaanin parodia. John Le Carrén klassikossa Mies kylmästä todetaan agentin olevan vain rooli, jonka useat eri ihmiset täyttävät, kukin vuorollaan. Tämä ajatus toteutuu Barr-nimisessä miehessä hyvin avoimesti ja toistuvasti." (Rajoilla raukoilla: suomenkielisen proosakirjallisuuden historia by Markku Eskelinen, Helsinki: Kustannusosakelyhtiö Siltala, 2016, p. 493) 

Though his literary quality was of the highest, in the diary from August 1995 to December 1998, Kahden vuoden päiväkirja (2001), Haavikko revealed his – justified – bitter thoughts about the way in which critics have treated his work. Haavikko had published in 2001 five books, none of which were included among the best works of the year, recommended by the leading newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. However, the magazine Suomen Kuvalehti selected Haavikko's collection of aphorisms, Käytännön metafysiikka, in the list of 86 most interesting books of the year. Throughout his life, Haavikko was sensitive to criticism.

At the age of 70, Haavikko retired from his post as the managing director of the Art House, but continued as the chairman of the board. In 2007 he entered into contract with Otava Publishing Company. During his last years of life, Haavikko drank a lot, but he wasn't an alcoholic. He had problems with his eyes, to see clearly enough to read or do fine work. However, he never relinquished his old Adler typewriter for a computer keyboard. Paavo Haavikko died in the Maria Hospital on October 6, 2008. He was buried in the Hietaniemi Cemetery.

Along with writers such as Veijo Meri, Lauri Viita, and, later in the 1960s, the politically oriented poet Pentti Saarikoski, Haavikko sought new ways of expression, out from the conservative pressures of literary tradition. T. S. Eliot's Four Quarters had impressed him deeply. 

The central themes in Haavikko's poetry are language and poetry itself, love and death, history and power, money and business. From the start of his career, Haavikko examined the role of an artist in a closed society: "O deliver me from this place, I've deserved it / and I'm not at home here; / I'm not at home in this uncommercial world they've contrieved.". (from 'Eight Poem,' Winter Palace / Talvipalatsi, 1959, in  Contemporary Finnish Poetry, p. 133)

Haavikko used language economically and he favored paradoxes. With the precision of a scientist he often juxtaposed images so that phenomena are examined through their antitheses. The tone is unsentimental and neutral, even poker-faced, but he did not hesitate to tell himself: "Don't smile. So you won't become a Buddha / with that lower-jaw smile. Don't laugh, / so you won't be shown, every moment, / a reason for doing so." (from 'In Praise of the Tyrant,' translated by Anselm Hollo, A Way to Measure Time: Contemporary Finnish Literature, edited by Bo Carpelan, Veijo Meri, Matti Suurpää, Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, 1992, p. 165) One of Haavikko's collections of aphorisms was actually entitled Speak, Answer, Teach (1972).

Pessimism marked his view on the way of the world: "Nothing goes as planned. / Everything goes. / You don't get a grip on your life, / because it's a barney; / life gets no grip on you, / on me, and never will. / It summons the bouncer, whose grip is belief." (from May, Perpetual / Toukokuu, ikuinen, 1988, in Contemporary Finnish Poetry, p. 147) Haavikko depicted power through kings, statesmen, wealthy merchants, people making history and imprisoned by the inevitable course of events. His aphoristic style created sayings that were adopted as national property as if they had long existed in folklore. Among them is the much quoted "real delicates are raw: oysters, salmon, and power."

When a number of intellectuals, writers, and artists were both lured and flattered by President Urho Kekkonen's attention, Haavikko kept his distance. He looked down at his readers from a higher level. Haavikko's attitude to President was ambivalent. His colleague Paavo Rintala was less critical in his writings. Haavikko saw Kekkonen's superiority compared to other politicians, but more than once he called him a "Renaissance prince", which referred not only to the President's active role as a patron of the arts but also to Machiavellianism. Somewhat illogically, Haavikko agreed to write Kekkonen's memoirs, Vuosisatani. 1, which appeared in November 1981. At that time, Kekkonen was seriously ill and he had to resign.

By writing in the first person, Haavikko was able to identify himself with President Kekkonen, but ghostwriting wasn't among Haavikko's ambitions. "Tämä on  niin harsua, ihan uskomatonta harsua," said Tuomas Anhava, who edited Haavikko's text. "Kaikki on niin ylimalkaista ja sinne päin sanottua ettei sitä usko muistelmatekstiksi kukaan." (Niin katosi voitto maailmasta: Paavo Haaviko elämä by Martti Anhava, Helsinki: Otava, 1921, p. 450) Vuosisatani. 1 was a bestseller. Readers and reviewers believed that it had been written by Kekkonen himself. Haavikko did not take liberties with the facts, nor did he pay much attention to the documents. Noteworthy, in his own memoirs (1994-95) Haavikko used the third person and did not always stick to the truth. Considering the pompous style, they can be read as parodies of autobiography.

Haavikko's interest in contemporary issues separated him from the majority of Finnish poets, who usually avoid clear statement. The major exceptions have been Matti Rossi (1934-2017) and Pentti Saaritsa (1941-2024). Perhaps this strait in Haavikko can be understood as a reaction to modernist indifference and aloofness. In addition, he had the ability to articulate his opinions in a way that provoked discussion and debate.

As a widely read columnist at the weekly magazine Suomen Kuvalehti, Haavikko scrutinized Finland's leading politicians and civil servants in an exceptionally harsh light. Presidents Mauno Koivisto and Martti Ahtisaari were Haavikko's most prominent targets, but he was a welcomed guest at the Independence Day reception at the Presidential Palace. In the 1994 presidential elections Haavikko supported Elisabeth Rehn. Like the majority of Finns, Haavikko opposed Finland's joining NATO.

The polemic Kansakunnan linja (1977, The National Line) discussed of "the unknown history of an unknown nation 1904-1975", and intentionally diverged from academic interpretations. When the English historian Anthony Upton criticized Haavikko's conclusions of the events of 1939-41 in Books from Finland (4/1978), Haavikko answered: "I wrote my book not only from the viewpoint of the rope but also from the viewpoint of the man to be hanged." (Prospero: Muistelmat vuosilta 1967-1995, p. 70)

Yritys omaksikuvaksi (1987, Sketch for a Self-portrait), Vuosien aurinkoiset varjot (1994, Sunny Shadows of the Years) and Prospero (1995), were autobiographical works. "I believe that in the end all literature is first-person, even though the terms he and she are often used in place of the word I. I also believe that every story has its own omniscient storyteller-god, and that the more demanding and knowing that god is, the less he is present." (from 'Foreword,' in Vuosien aurinkoiset varjot, translated by Jill Timbers, p. 7)

Though Haavikko made his début as a modernist, some of his best-known works drew (without romanticism) on the Finnish folklore and the Kalevala, such as the epic poem Kaksikymmentä ja yksi (1974, One and Twenty). The television drama Rauta-aika (1982, The Age of Iron) urged to forget the Kalevala but was based on Kalevalaic characters, Väinämöinen, Ilmarinen, Louhi, and others, only Kullervo was missing from the cavalcade. He had his own special story to tell: Kullervon tarina (1982) portrayed this tragic hero of the epic.

Agricola ja kettu (1968) took the subject from Finland's history, when the country was caught between two strong rulers, King Gustavus Vasa and Ivan the Terrible, who resemble the Finnish President Juho Kusti Paasikivi and the Soviet dictator Josef Stalin. A similar juxtaposition is found from Audun and the Polar Bear (1967), in which the bear's clever owner, Audun, uses his wits to survive between Norway's Harald and Denmark's King Sveinn, two superior powers. Harald Pitkäikäinen, Haavikko's Viking ruler from his radio plays, had much in common with President Urho Kekkonen.

 A Musical Evening in Viipuri in the Year 1918 (1978) was based on an actual event: the murder of Toivo Kuula, a promising young composer, who died in a brawl during the Finnish Civil War. Haavikko presented the observations of various witnesses but avoided giving advice on how to regard the evidence just heard. Another successful play from the 1970s, Kuningas lähtee Ranskaan (1974, The King Goes Forth to France), was performed at Covent Garden in 1987.

The composer Aulis Sallinen set several of Haavikko's textual librettos to music, including the operas Kuningas lähtee Ranskaan and Ratsumies (1974, The Horseman), both based on the Finnish history between two conflicting powers. Haavikko's last libretto was about the legendary long-distance runner Paavo Nurmi. The premiere of the opera, Paavo Suuri. Suuri juoksu. Suuri uni, composed by Tuomas Kantelinen and directed by Kalle Holmberg, took place in August 2000. One performance was cancelled because of Tina Turner's rock concert.

A number of Haavikko´s works have been translated into English, among them The Winter Palace, The Horseman, and The King Goes Forth to France. Selections of poetry have appeared in Snow in May: An Anthology of Finnish writing 1945-1972 (1978), World Literature Today (1974), Salt of Pleasure (1993), Books from Finland 2 (1984), Poems for the Millenium – Book of Modern & Postmodern Poetry (1998), edited by Jerome Rothenberg, Pierre Joris. Selected poems, translated by Anselm Hollo, was published in 1991. Peter Hein received in 2002 the Nossack-Preis for his translation of Haavikko's poems into German.

For further reading: 'How Things Are: Paavo Haavikko and His Poetry' by Kai Laitinen, in Books Abroad, 43, pp. 41-46 (1969); Syvä nauru: tutkimus Paavo Haavikon dramatiikasta by Aarne Kinnunen (1977); 'Poet's Playground' by P. Binham, in World Literature Today, 53, pp. 244-45 (1979); Soutu Bysanttiin: Paavo Haavikon metodin ja maailmankuvan tarkastelua by Hannes Sihvo (1980); 'Haavikko, Paavo (Juhani),' in World Authors 1980-1985, ed. by Vineta Colby (1991);  'Haavikko, Paavo (Juhani),' in Contemporary World Writers, ed. by Tracy Chevalier (1993); Paavo Haavikko, modernismens furste by Kari Tarkiainen (1997); A History of Finland's Literature, ed. by George C. Schoolfield (1998); Haavikko 2001 by Markku Eskelinen and Raine Koskimaa (2001); Sanojen palatsi: puhujan määrittely ja teoskokonaisuuden hahmotus Paavo Haavikon Talvipalatsissa by Leena Kaunonen (2001); Haavikko-niminen mies by Mauno Saari (2009); Kaksi metriä syvistä kysymyksistä: Paavo Haavikon proosasta by Aarne Kinnunen (2009); Paavo Haavikko, isä by Heikki Haavikko (2015); Korskea monisielu: suppea ensyklopedia Paavo Haavikon lyriikkaan by Aarne Kinnunen (2018); Niin katosi voitto maailmasta: Paavo Haavikon elämä by Martti Anhava (2021); Paavo Haavikon linja by Matti Salminen (2022) - SPECIAL THANKS to the translator Jill Timbers, the English language editor of this page.

Selected works:

• Tiet etäisyyksiin, 1951
• Tuuliöinä, 1953
• Synnyinmaa, 1955
• Lehdet lehtiä, 1958
• Münchhausen, 1958 (play) - Munchhausen (translated by Ritva Poom, 1986)
• Talvipalatsi, 1959 - The Winter Palace (translated by Anselm Hollo, 1961)
• Münchhausen; Nuket: kaksi näytelmää, 1960 (plays)
• Yksityisiä asioita, 1960 - Privata angelägenheter (övers. av Jörn Donner, 1966)
• Toinen taivas ja maa, 1961
• Runot 1951-61, 1962
• Vuodet, 1962 - Åren (övers. av Bo Carpelan, 1967)
• Lasi Claudius Civiliksen salaliittolaisten pöydällä: kolme novellia, 1964 (contains Lumeton aika, Arkkitehti, Pitkiä naisia) - Glaset på bordet i Batavernas trohetsed (övers.: Thomas Warburton, 1984)
• Puut, kaikki heidän vihreytensä, 1966
• Lyhytaikaiset lainat, 1966 (radio play)
• Ylilääkäri, 1968 - The Superintendent (translated by Philip Binham, 1973)
• Audun ja jääkarhu, 1967 (radio play) - Audun and the Polar Bear (translated by  Dympna Connolly, 1986)
• Freijan pelto, 1967 (radio play)
• Agricola ja kettu, 1968 (radio play) - Agricola and the Fox (translated by Ritva Poom) / Agricola och räven: skådespel (övers.: Marjatta Karukoski, 1980)
• Kilpikonna, 1968
• Selected Poems, 1968 (edited and translated from the Finnish by Anselm Hollo)
• Brotteruksen perhe, 1969
• Kahden vuoden äänet, 1969 (radio plays)
• Äänet myöhässä, 1970 (radio plays)
• Neljätoista hallitsijaa, 1970
• Puhua, vastata, opettaa, 1972 - Tala, svara, lära (övers. av Jörn Donner , 1975)
• Runoja matkalta salmen ylitse, 1973
• Sulka, 1973 (play)
• Mommilan veriteot, 1973 (with Jukka Kemppinen)
• Kaksikymmentä ja yksi, 1974 - One and Twenty (translated by Anselm Hollo, 2007)
• Harald Pitkäikäinen: Kertomus siitä mitä tapahtui kun kuningas Harald Pitkäikäinen talvehti kuudetta kesää Englannissa, kutsui kokoon kansansa ja tahtoi luopua vallasta, 1974 (play) - An Account What Happened When King Harold the Longlived Wintered His Sixth Summer in England, Assembled the People and Wanted to Abdicate (translated by Diana Tullberg)
• Kuningas lähtee Ranskaan, 1974 (play) - King Goes Forth to France (screenplay by Paavo Haavikko, Anssi Mänttäri and Heikki Katajisto, translated by Philip Binham, 1986)
• Ratsumies: näytelmä, 1974 (play)
• Ratsumies=The Horseman, 1974 (the libretto of the opera composed by Aulis Sallinen, translated by Philip Binham, 1974)
• Selected Poems: Paavo Haavikko, Tomas Tranströmer, 1974 (translated and with an introduction by Anselm Hollo & Robin Fulton, 1974)
• Runoelmat, 1975
• Runot 1949-1974, 1975
• Agricolan linja, 1976
• Barr-niminen mies, 1976 (as Anders Lieksman)
• Kertomus siitä miten Kuningas Harald käsitteli naista ja lammasta koskevaa hankalaa kysymystä ei ole paljon pitempi kuin sitä käsittelevän kirjoituksen tämä nimi, 1976 - How King Harold Dealt with the Tricky Question of the Woman and the Sheep (translated by Diana Tullberg)
• Ne vahvimmat miehet ei ehjiksi jää, 1976
• Viiniä, kirjoitusta, 1976
• Kaisa ja Otto, 1976-77
• Ihmisen ääni, 1977
• Puolustuspuhe, 1977
• Kansakunnan linja, 1977 - Finlands linje: kommentar till ett okänt folks okända historia 1904-1975 (övers. av Ralf Friberg, 1979)
• Dikter, 1977 (övers. av Bo Carpelan)
• Kuningas Harald, jäähyväiset eli kertomus siitä miten kuningas Harald kahlasi yli kuivan joen, tuli kelttien eli kelttiläisnaisten maahan syksyllä..., 1978 (radio play)
• Soitannollinen ilta Viipurissa 1918, 1978 (radio play) [A Musical Evening in Viipuri in the Year 1918]
• Näytelmät, 1978 (plays)
• Kuninkaat, veljekset, 1979 (radio play) - Kungar, bröder: radiopjäs (övers. av Thomas Warburton, 1979)
• Herra Östanskog, 1980 (play)
• Ikuisen rauhan aika, 1981
• Viisi pientä draamallista tekstiä, 1981
• Romaanit ja novellit, 1981
• Vuosisatani. 1, 1981 (President Kekkonen's book of memoirs)
• Viinin kärsimykset Venäjällä 1812, 1981 (radio play) - Vinets lidanden i Ryssland 1812: radiopjäs (övers. av Thomas Warburton, 1983)
• Kullervon tarina, 1982 (radio play)
• Rauta-aika, 1982 - The Age of Iron (scenario for television film loosely based on the Finnish epic-lyrical collection of myth, the Kalevala)
• Honkaa ja graniittia, 1982 (television play; radio play, 2011)
• Vuosisadan merikirja - Effoan sata ensimmäistä vuotta 1883-1983, 1983 - Ett sekel till havs: EFFOAs hundra första år 1883-1983 (övers. av Ole Torvalds, 1983)
• Wärtsilä 1834-1984, 1984 (with Markku Reunanen) - Wärtsilä 1834-1984 (övers. till svenska Ralf Friberg, 1984)
• Pimeys, 1984
• Con amore, con furore, 1985
• Vapaus!, 1985
• Näkyväistä maailmaa. Aforistiset sarjat 1972-1984, 1985
• Vaella Helsingissä, 1986 (photos Kristian Runeberg)
• Viisi sarjaa nopeasti virtaavasta elämästä, 1987
• Yritys omaksikuvaksi, 1987 - Prospero: försök till självporträtt (övers. av Bo Carpelan, 1989)
• Waltteri Wiheriän tarkempi kertomus, tunnustus ja kiitos, 1987
• Naismetsä, 1987
• Kansakunnan synty, 1988
• Erään opportunistin iltapäivä, 1988
• Toukokuu, ikuinen, 1988
• Kansalaisturvaa rakentamassa, 1988 - I bräschen för medborgartrygghet: Folkpensionsanstaltens fem årtionden 1937-1987 (övers. av N-B. Stormbom, 1988) - Five Decades of Social Security: The Social Insurance Institution of Finland 1937-1987 (transl. by Philip Binham, 1988)
• Kansalaisvapaudesta, 1989
• Naismetsä, 1989 (radio play)
• Rakkaudesta ja kuolemasta, 1989
• Kullervon tarina: moniääninen monologi, 1989 (stage play) - Kullervo's Story: A Polyphonic Monologue (transl. from the Finnish by Anselm Hollo, 1989)
• Englantilainen tarina, 1990 (play)
• Talvirunoja, 1990
• Selected Poems 1949-1988, 1991 (transl. by Anselm Hollo)
• Lamavuodesta 91 Kriisivuoden 92 Kautta Katastrofivuoteen 93, 1992 (with Tuomas Keskinen and Kimmo Pietiläinen)
• Suomen tauti: Sen diagnoosi ja hoito, 1992 (with Tuomas Keskinen and Kimmo Pietiläinen)
• Runot! Runot 1984-1992, 1992
• Murtuva keskiluokka: Aikalaiskirjoitus, 1992
• Jatkoaika presidentille: Kaaoksen arvoton järjestelmä, 1992 (with Tuomas Keskinen and Kimmo Pietiläinen)
• Fleurin koulusyksy, 1992 - Fleurs hösttermin (övers. av Thomas Warburton, 1994)
• Anastasia ja minä, 1992 (under the pseudonym Aleksej) - Anastasia och jag (övers. av Lars Huldén) / Anastasia and I (transl. by Anselm Hollo)
• Pitkä vuosi mutta kullattu kulttuuri, 1993 (with Tuomas Keskinen and Kimmo Pietiläinen)
• Viimeinen haastattelu Tamminiemessä, 1993
• Aikalaishulluudesta: Arvio maan henkisestä tilasta, 1993
• Kyllä se siitä tai sitten ei, 1993 (with Tuomas Keskinen and Kimmo Pietiläinen)
• Kirjainmerkit mustat: Runot 1949-1966, 1993
• Puiden ylivertaisuudesta, 1993
• Tässä sitä ollaan, 1993 (with Tuomas Keskinen and Kimmo Pietiläinen)
• Seitsemän minuuttia viheriöllä, 1993-94 (television monologue)
• Tyrannin ylistys: runot 1970-1981, 1994
• Vuosien aurinkoiset varjot, 1994
• Prospero: Muistelmat vuosilta 1967-1995, 1995
• Yksityisiä asioita: 60-luvun proosaa, 1995
• Kirkas ilta, 1995 (television play)
• Fantastisia kertomuksia: proosa 1976-1995, 1996
• Tulevaisuudesta, 1996
• Pahin ja paras, 1996
• Nuijasota: Sisällisodan vuodet 1596-1599, 1997
• 59 epäpyhää traktaattia jumalattomassa maailmassa, 1997
• Suuri keinottelu: Pariisin maailmannäyttelystä Tarton rauhaan, 1997
• Sulka: 12 näytelmää, 1997 (plays)
• Airo ja Brita, 1998 (play)
• Traktaatit, 1998
• Korkein oikeus, 1998 (television play)
• Päämaja - Suomen hovi, 1999
• Äidit ja tyttäret, 1999 (opera libretto based on Kalevala, composed by Tapio Tuomela)
• Sylvi Kekkosen muotokuva, 2000 (with Marja-Liisa Vartio)
• Paavo Suuri. Suuri Juoksu. Suuri Uni, 2000 (libretto, music composed by Tuomas Kantelinen, dir. by Kalle Holmberg)
• Kahden päivän juhlat, 2000
• Sylvin kamari, 2000 (television play)
• Lastenkutsut, 2000 (play)
• Tämä minun ankara aikani, 2000
• Kahden vuoden päiväkirja: Muistiinmerkittyä vuosilta 1995-1998, 2001
• Tarja Halosen tarina: Naisen muotokuva politiikan kehyksissä, 2001
• Talvipalatsi: Varhaisversion rekonstruktio vuodelta 1959, 2001
• Prosperon runot: 45 runoa, 2001
• Käytännön metafysiikka, 2001
• Avointen ovien päivä / Kaksoisagentti, 2004 (radio drama)
• Hitlerin sateenvarjo, 2004 (play)
• Mustat kantarellit: kolme novellia, 2004
• Ei. Siis kyllä, 2006
• Valitut runot 1949-2001, 2006
• Muistelmat vuosilta 1931-1995, 2013 (afterword by Heikki Haavikko)
  
• Kootut runot, 2014 (edited by Jaakko Anhava)
  
• On hyvä elää ja palella: kootut aforismit, 2016
  
• Suuri marsalkka: kuvia C.G.E. Mannerheimin elämästä ja toiminnasta 1886-1947, 2022 (edited by Martti Anhava)
  
  
  

  
  
  

  ---

  Some rights reserved Petri Liukkonen (author) & Ari Pesonen. 2008-2024.