Frans Eemil Sillanpää

Frans Eemil Sillanpää (; 16 September 1888 – 3 June 1964) was a Finnish writer. In 1939, he became the first Finnish writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature "for his deep understanding of his country's peasantry and the exquisite art with which he has portrayed their way of life and their relationship with Nature".

Early life Frans Eemil Sillanpää was born into a peasant farming family in Hämeenkyrö. Although his parents were poor, they managed to send him to school in Tampere. At school Sillanpää was a good student and with aid from his benefactor Henrik Liljeroos he entered the University of Helsinki in 1908 to study medicine.

Career In 1913 Sillanpää moved from Helsinki to his old home village and devoted himself to writing. In 1914 Sillanpää wrote articles for the newspaper Uusi Suometar. In his work he portrayed rural people as living united with the land.

Sillanpää won international fame for his novel Nuorena nukkunut (translated to English as The Maid Silja) in 1931.

In 1939, Sillanpää was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature "for his deep understanding of his country's peasantry and the exquisite art with which he has portrayed their way of life and their relationship with Nature." A few days after he received the prize, talks between Finland and Soviet Union broke down and the Winter War began.

Before the Winter War, Sillanpää wrote the lyrics for Sillanpään marssilaulu to lift his spirits when his eldest son Esko was partaking in military practices at Karelian Isthmus.

In 1939, Sillanpää's wife Sigrid died of pneumonia leaving him with eight children. Some time after, Sillanpää married his secretary Anna von Hertzen (1900–1983).

The asteroid 1446 Sillanpää, discovered on January 26, 1938, by Finnish astronomer and physicist Yrjö Väisälä, was named after him.

Death Sillanpää died on 3 June 1964 in Helsinki aged 75.

Works

Elämä ja aurinko (1916) Ihmislapsia elämän saatossa (1917) Hurskas kurjuus (translated as Meek Heritage) (1919) Rakas isänmaani (1919) Hiltu ja Ragnar (1923) Enkelten suojatit (1923) Omistani ja omilleni (1924) Maan tasalta (1924) Töllinmäki (1925) Rippi (1928) Kiitos hetkistä, Herra... (1930) Nuorena nukkunut (translated as The Maid Silja) (1931) Miehen tie (1932) Virranpohjalta (1933) (translated as People in the Summer Night) (1934) Viidestoista (1936) Elokuu (1941) Ihmiselon ihanuus ja kurjuus (1945)

Films

Numerous of his works have been made into films: Nuorena nukkunut, Teuvo Tulio. 1937 One Man's Faith, Nyrki Tapiovaara and Hugo Hytönen. 1940 Ihmiset suviyössä, Valentin Vaala. 1948 Poika eli kesäänsä, Roland af Hällström. 1955 (based on novel Elämä ja aurinko) The Harvest Month, Matti Kassila. 1956 Silja – nuorena nukkunut, Jack Witikka. 1956 The Glory and Misery of Human Life, Matti Kassila. 1988