Ilmari Turja

Ilmari Turja (28 October 1901 – 6 January 1998) was a Finnish writer, best known as a journalist and playwright, with a career spanning nearly eight decades from the 1920s to the 1990s.

Early life and education Kaarlo Ilmari Turja was born to a farming family in Isokyrö in western central Finland, to Jaakko and Evelina Turja. Turja went on to study law at the University of Helsinki, obtaining his law degree in 1929 and qualifying as Varatuomari (Master of Laws with court training, cf. barrister) in 1932. In addition to that, he also held the same post at two other weekly magazines, Kansan Kuvalehti (1929—1934) and Uusi Kuvalehti (1952—1963).

Honours and awards In 1967, Turja was awarded the medal of the Order of the Lion of Finland.

In 1970, the honorary title of Professori was conferred on Turja.

He was also recognised with several notable literary and cultural awards.

Personal life In his student years, Turja was a member of the Finnish nationalist Academic Karelia Society.

He was married to Salli Alanen (m. 1930 — her death in 1993), and they had four children.

During both the Winter and Continuation Wars, Turja served in the military communications corps of the Finnish Army, reaching eventually the rank of Kapteeni (Captain).

He was a long-time friend of President Urho Kekkonen, whom Turja had first met when publishing Kekkonen's writings (under the pseudonym 'Pekka Peitsi') in Suomen Kuvalehti.