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Iivo Härkönen (1882-1941) |
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Finnish writer, journalist, teacher, and an advocate of Karelian culture, who collected from the villages of the country's easternmost province old folk poetry. Iivo Härkönen was the secretary of the Union of Finnish Writers from 1920 until his death.
Iivo Härkönen was born in Suistamo into an old family of
traditional rune singers. His grandfather and grandmother performed at
the first rune festivals in Sortavala in 1896. Among other famous names
were Jehkin Iivana and Läskelän Iivana, who both played the traditional
Finnish harp, kantele.
At school Härkönen discovered the
joy of books. He devoured fairy tales and stories about great explorers
such as Livingstone and Nordenskiöld. From the school library, he
borrowed books by J. L. Runeberg, Kaarlo Kramsu, and
J.H. Erkko. When he was staying in a lodging in an old vicarage he
developed a lifelong passion for ghost stories and scary beings,
exemplified among others in the collection Suomen kansan seikkailusatuja
(1914). He recalled in an autobiographical fragment: "Kansakouluajalla
pappilassa asuessani palvelijain tuvassa kuulemani kummitusjutut
kiihottivat nuorta mieltäni, samoin myöhemmin isoäitini veljen kanssa
kotiseutuni salomailla pienenä tukkipäällikön kirjamiehenä ollessani
kuullut rahtimiesten loputtomat sadut ja kaskut." ('Iivo Härkönen,' in Aleksis Kivestä Martti Merenmaahan: suomalaisten kirjailijain elämäkertoja, Porvoo: Werner Söderström Osakeyhtiö, 1954, p. 411) After finishing elementary school, Härkönen worked as a shop assistant and then during the summers as a lumberjack, floating logs down the river. Härkönen's own attempts in writing started in the late 1890s. His first short stories, 'Poroukko' and 'Laatokka,' were published in the magazine Nuori Karjala. At that time his favorite writer was Alphonse Daudet, but he also read works from Turgenev, Sienkiewicz, Heine, Cervantes, and Dante. In 1900, Härkönen met professor Kaarle Krohn, who encouraged him in his literary aspirations; this became a turning point in his life. Following Krohn's advice, he went to collect poems from his native region for the the Finnish Literature Association. While travelling in Aunus, he thoroughly immersed himself into its rich tradition of folklore. In 1898-1899 Härkönen studied as a teacher at Sortavala seminar and
graduated in 1906. Between the years Härkönen contributed to local
papers poems and stories and taught in Karelia at small schools. In
1904, he was accused of spreading propaganda and dismissed from the
seminar. From 1907 until 1918, Härkönen earned his living as a teacher in
Helsinki. Occasionally he worked a journalist, editing Savon Sanomat (1912-13) and Karjalan lehti (1913-14). From 1917 until his resignation in 1939, he edited the magazine Karjalaisten Sanomat (later Toukomies, 1925-1935; Viena-Aunus, 1935-1944), published by the
Karelian Culture Association. Embracing the ideals of national romanticism, Härkönen was active in several associations advocating "Karelianism," an idealistic trend born in the 1890s, which searched the Finnish cultural heritage from Karelia. The world of the Kalevala inspired painters (such as Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Hugo Simberg, and Pekka Halonen), composers (Jean Sibelius, Robert Kajanus, Leevi Madetoja) and writers (Eino Leino, Juhani Aho). In 1917, Eino Leino established with Härkönen, Maria Jotuni, Joel Lehtonen, Viljo Kojo and other writers an association called Kirjallinen työ, which emphasized the equal relationship between manual and intellectual workers. The association joined in 1920 the Union of Finnish Writers. Tämänlaatuinen oli runonlaulaja: Härkönen was a founding member of Wienan Karlajaisten Liitto (WKL, later
Karjalan Sivistysseura) and its secretary 1907-1910. The association
aimed at promoting the Viena Karelian culture, establishing Finnish
language schools, and published the magazine Karjalaisten Pakinoita. Its activities were stopped by Russian officials in 1908 in the Viena Karelia. Between the years 1918 and 1922, Härkönen was a civil servant with a governmental organization dealing with East Karelian affairs, and then worked for a few years with the ministry of education. For several decades, Härkönen contributed to the newspaper Laatokka, sometimes under the pseudonyms of "Iivo," "Tata," and "Häräkeh". His last article, written in Karelian language, appeared in 1939. Härkönen served as the secretary of the Karelian Culture Association (Karjalan Sivistysseura) until 1938. Härkönen supported the annexation of East Karelia (Russian Karelia) to the Finnish state, but opposing
the Finnicization programme of the fascist Isänmaallinen kansanliike (IKL, Patriotic People's Movement),
Härkönen spoke for developing
Karelian language and culture on its own terms. The idea of the kindred
Finno-Ugrian people was in the heart of nationalist movements during
the interwar period. Like many writers of the period, Härkönen adopted
the vision of a Greater Finland. Along with such poets as Heikki
Asunta, Yrjö Jylhä, Uuno Kailas, and V. A. Koskenniemi, he contributed
to the collection of Greater Finland poems, Suur-Suomen runoja (1941), published by the Akateeminen Karjala-Seura. Following the publication of Juhani Aho's novel Juha
(1911), a group of Viena Karelians were offended by its portrayal of
the travelling salesman Shemeikka (an old Karelian surname), who is
generalized as a typical Karelian man. Shemeikka, an irresponsible
seducer, who owns a harem of slave-mistresses, was seen to strengthen
negative attitudes towards Karelians. On behalf of the group, Härkönen
wrote an open letter to Juhani Aho, which appeared in Uusi Suometar.
Härkönen pointed out mistakes in the book, and complained of the
misleading image of the kindred people. In his reply Aho argued that
the book was a work of fiction and dismissed the critique as "childish
whining". As a writer Härkönen started his career in 1904 with music
plays. He then wrote several books depicting his native region. The history and Finnish language teacher O. A.
Kallio considered in his work on Finnish literary history
these early efforts uneven, and saw his prose more assuring than his
poems written in florid style: "Kirjalliselta arvoltaan ne ovat hyvin
epätasaisia, yleensä kepeänpuoleisia; suorasanaiset ovat sentään
ansiokkaampia kuin hieman onnahtelevat, ylimalkaiset ja korusanaiset
runot, joissa hän näyttää esiintyvän vähemmän omintakeisena." (Uudempi suomalainen kirjallisuus II: murrosten aika (realosmi ja uusromantiikka) by O. A. Kallio, Porvoo: Werner Söderström Osakeyhtiö, 1929, p. 177) Härkönen edited Karjalan kirja (1909-10, new edition 1932) and in 1935 appeared his humorous novel Juhlahattu. Härkönen also published poems in the metre of the Kalevala. Härkönen's other works include depictions of his own journeys when he was collecting traditional folk poetry, Runonlaulaja (1926) and Runon hirveä hiihtämässä (1928). He also traveled widely in other parts of Europe, but during the summer months he retired to his native village in Suistamo. Some of Härkönen's poems reflect his Orthodox background as
'Kirkko
vieraalla maalla,' written in Italy in 1910-11, and 'Atenogenesin
iltaveisu.' He wanted to renew the Orthodox liturgical singing
tradition in Finland and root out its Russian historical heritage. ('Kirjailija Iivo Härkönen ja unelma ortodoksisesta virsilaulusta' by Maria Takala-Roszczenko, Sananjalka, Vol 63, Nro 63, 2021, pp. 234-263) Härkönen was married twice, first to Ida Lindhom (1905-1919), a stationer from Porvoo. For a long time, Ida had been a friend of the author Joel Lehtonen; the relationship was not serious. After divorce he married in 1920 Valborg Sarlin. Suomen Termopylai (1940), Härkönen's last collection of poems, was born during the Winter War, when the Red Army attacked Finland. 'In 'Karjalan vartiolla' he compares Karelia to Thermopylae, the last stand of the Spartans. For Härkönen Karelia was the guardian of the fatherland at the border, who never can sleep. "Ei nukkua voi, levon tunne ei, kulkua ajan / hän, jonk' isänmaa pani vartiovuorelle rajan." Iivo Härkönen died in Helsinki on August 28, 1941, two months after the outbreak of the Continuation war between Finland and the Soviet Union. Martti Haavio wrote in his diary, that Härkönen would have been happy on hearing the news that the Finnish troops reconquered Suistamo in July 1941. For further reading: 'Kuinka jouduin kynänkäytön alalle' by Iivo Härkönen, in Kuinka meistä tuli kirjailijoita: suomalaisten kirjailijoiden nuoruudenmuistelmia, Helsinki: Suomen Kirjailijaliitto(1916); 'Iivo Härkönen,' in Aleksis Kivestä Martti Merenmaahan: suomalaisten kirjailijain elämäkertoja, Porvoo: WSOY (1954); Suomen sana: kansalliskirjallisuutemme valiolukemisto. 8, Albert Hämäläinen - Yrjö Jylhä, ed. by Yrjö A. Jäntti (1964); Iivo Härkönen: karjalainen heimomies, eds. Voitto Setälä, Hannes Sihvo and Senni Timonen (1983); Elettyä elämää Laatokan-Karjalassa by Esa Härkönen (1994); Suomen kirjallisuushistoria. 2, Järkiuskosta vaistojen kapinaan, ed. by Lea Rojola (1999); Myö karjalaizet: Karelskspråkiga inslag i tidningen Laatokka under 1920- och 1930-talen by Mikael Björk (pro gradu) (2011); Sielunpaloa ja toimintaa: Karjalan Heimo: sata vuosikertaa, ed. by Toni Saarinen (2020) Selected works:
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