About Kirsti Simonsuuri
Lived 1945 – 2019 (aged 73). Kirsti Simonsuuri was a Finnish poet, essayist, writer, literary scholar, translator and classical philologist.
Kirsti Katariina Simonsuuri (26 December 1945, Helsinki – 29 June 2019, Helsinki ) was a Finnish professor, writer, poet, and researcher of ancient literature. Her honors included the J. H. Erkko Award for Best First Book and the Wolfson Fellowship Award from the British Academy (1981).
Biography Simonsuuri received her bachelor's degree (1968) and master's degree (1971) from the University of Helsinki. In 1972, she received a second master's degree from the University of Cambridge and five years later, a Ph.D. from the same school.
From 1978–1981, Simonsuuri was a professor of literature at the University of Oulu. In 1981–1982, she was a British Academy Wolfson Fellow at the Warburg Institute. In 1984–1988, she was Fulbright Visiting Scholar at University of California, Los Angeles, Harvard University, and Columbia University. In 1989–1990, she was a visiting scholar at the Centre Louis Gernet; in 1992–1993, she was a scientific fellow at Institute for Advanced Study, Berlin; in 1994, she was a visiting fellow at Magdalen College, Oxford. In 1994–1995, she again served as a professor of literature, this time at the University of Helsinki. From 1995–1998, she was the Director of the Finnish Institute at Athens. In 1998–1999, she worked at the Academy of Finland as a research professor and then served as an academy fellow during the period of 2000 to 2005. She returned to the Institute for Advanced Study, Berlin, in 2001 as a Scientific Fellow.
Partial works
Non-fiction books and essays Homer's original genius: eighteenth-century notions of the early Greek epic (1688–1798). 1979. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge. . Nopanheittäjä. 1989. Kirjayhtymä. Helsinki. . Ihmiset ja jumalat: myytit ja mytologiat. 1994. Kirjayhtymä. Helsinki. . Akropolis. 1999. Tammi. Helsinki. .
Poetry collections Murattikaide. 1980. Kirjayhtymä. Helsinki. . Tuntematon tekijä. 1982. Kirjayhtymä. Helsinki. . Euroopan ryöstö. 1984. Kirjayhtymä. Helsinki. . Meri, ei mikään maa. 1987. Kirjayhtymä. Helsinki. . Enkelten pysäkki. 1990. Kirjayhtymä. Helsinki. . Onni ja barbaria. 1995. Kirjayhtymä. Helsinki. . Rakkaus tuli kun lähdin maan ääriin. 2000. Tammi. Helsinki. . Taivaanrannan ajuri. Valitut runot. 2005. Tammi. Helsinki. .
Prose Pohjoinen yökirja. 1981. Kirjayhtymä. Helsinki. . Paholaispoika. 1986. Kirjayhtymä. Helsinki. . Miehen muotokuva. 1992. Kirjayhtymä. Helsinki. . Eläintarhanhuvila yhdeksän. 2002. Tammi. Helsinki. .
Translations Virginia Woolf: Oma huone. 1980. Kirjayhtymä. Helsinki. . Sylvia Plath: Ariel. 1983. Kirjayhtymä. Helsinki. . Virginia Woolf: Orlando. 1984. Kirjayhtymä. Helsinki. . Euripides: Medeia. 1999. Lasipalatsi. Helsinki. . Aiskhylos: Oresteia. 2003. Tammi. Helsinki. . William Shakespeare: Sonetit Virginia Woolf: Jaakobin huone. 2008. Tammi. Helsinki. . William Shakespeare: Miten haluatte|Kuten haluatte. 2010. WSOY. Helsinki. .
Anthologies Enchanting Beasts. An anthology of modern women poets of Finland. 1990. Forest Books. Lontoo. .
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Important facts
People in Kirsti Simonsuuri's life
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Kirsti Simonsuuri?
Finnish writer and literary scholar (1945-2019)
When was Kirsti Simonsuuri born?
Kirsti Simonsuuri was born on 26 December 1945 in Helsinki.
When did Kirsti Simonsuuri die?
Kirsti Simonsuuri died on 29 June 2019 in Helsinki.
What was Kirsti Simonsuuri's occupation?
Kirsti Simonsuuri was a poet, essayist, writer, literary scholar, translator and classical philologist.
What nationality was Kirsti Simonsuuri?
Kirsti Simonsuuri was Finnish.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: Kirsti Simonsuuri
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Kirsti Simonsuuri. https://biography.guide/kirsti-simonsuuri/
MLA: "Kirsti Simonsuuri." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/kirsti-simonsuuri/.
Chicago: "Kirsti Simonsuuri." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/kirsti-simonsuuri/.
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