Aale Tynni

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Art competitions
Olympic medalist
Aale Tynni
Medal record
Gold	1948 London	Lyric

Aale Maria Tynni-Haavio (October 3, 1913 – October 21, 1997) was a Finnish poet and translator and wife of fellow Finnish poet Martti Haavio.

She edited and translated into Finnish a comprehensive anthology of European poetry ranging from the Middle Ages to the present day entitled Tuhat Laulujen Vuotta in (1957). Aale Tynni's own poems, written in rhyme, explored such general themes as love, human relations, and conflicts in life. She also used myths, ballads, and historical subjects, especially in later works. In Miten kirjani ovat syntyneet (1969, how my books were born) Tynni stated that "my primary aim in poetry - has not been to tell of myself, nor to confess or promulgate," but "simply to create poetry".

In 1947, she published Soiva metsä.

[edit] Early life

Aale Tynni was born in Kolppana, Ingermanland, into a large family of seven children. Her father, Kaapre Tynni, was a journalist and director of a school, and mother, Lilja (Piipponen) Tynni, was a teacher. After the Russian Revolution, the family moved to Finland in 1919, and settled in Helsinki, where Kaapre Tynni worked as a teacher. Even as a child Tynni had started to write poems and during the secondary school she published her works at the school magazine.

After graduating from Helsingin Suomalainen Tyttölyseo in 1932, she studied at the University of Helsinki, receiving her M.A. in 1936. Two years later Tynni published her first collection of poems, Kynttiläsydän. In 1939 she travelled through France and Italy but on the outbreak of World War II was forcedto return to Finland. In 1940 Tynni married Kauko Pirinen, who become professor of church history and had three children. During this period Tynni worked as a teacher at a number of schools. She started her acclaimed career as a translator of poems with Henrik Ibsen's famous verse play Brand in 1947. She died in Helsinki.