Kalle Päätalo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kalle Päätalo
|
|
|---|---|
Päätalo in 1958
|
|
| Born | 11 November 1919 Taivalkoski, Oulu Province, Finland |
| Died | 20 November 2000 (81 years old) |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Notable works | Iijoki |
Kaarlo (Kalle) Alvar Päätalo (born November 11, 1919 – died November 20, 2000) was a famous Finnish novelist. He was one of the most popular writers in Finland during the 20th century. Kalle Päätalo is best known for his Iijoki series. This huge series has 26 novels and tells the story of his own life. It's one of the longest true-life stories ever written!
Contents
Kalle Päätalo's Early Life
Kalle Päätalo was born on November 11, 1919. He grew up in the village of Taivalkoski, in Oulu Province, Finland. Kalle was the second oldest of eight children in his family. His older brother, Toivo, sadly passed away as a baby. After Kalle, his family welcomed another son and five daughters.
His father worked as a lumberjack. Because his father faced health challenges, Kalle had to start working to support his family from a young age. He began working as a lumberjack himself when he was just 14 years old. Even while working hard, Kalle dreamed of becoming a writer. He loved to read and was greatly inspired by books like Martin Eden by Jack London. He also learned a lot from a guidebook for writers by Mika Waltari.
Kalle served in the military during the Winter War and Continuation War. His time in the wars ended when he was wounded. After the wars, he moved to Tampere. There, he studied at a technical school and became a building contractor. He also started writing short stories, which were published in different magazines. Kalle was married twice and had two daughters from his second marriage.
Writing Career and Famous Books
Kalle Päätalo published his first novel in 1958. This book was about a building site in Tampere. In his second novel, Our Daily Bread, he began writing about his home region. This book was the first of five books in his Koillismaa series. By this time, Päätalo was able to become a full-time writer. From 1962 until he passed away, he published one new book every single year!
In 1971, he published the first book in his most famous series, Juuret Iijoen törmässä. The title means 'Roots in the Bank of River Ii'. This amazing series ended up having 26 books! It is probably the longest true-life story ever written, with about 17,000 pages in total. The series tells Kalle Päätalo's life story from when he was a small child until his first novel was published. It also gives readers an interesting look at Finnish history over about 40 years, seen through one person's eyes.
Even though Kalle Päätalo's first books received good reviews, critics later started to have mixed feelings about his writing. However, his books remained very popular with readers. Some people found his slow storytelling and many small details a bit boring. But his many fans, especially those from his own generation, loved the huge amount of detail. They enjoyed how he carefully rebuilt the past in his stories.
Päätalo's writing also had other strengths. He was very honest with his readers, sharing almost everything about his life without being overly dramatic. He was also very skilled at using spoken Finnish, especially the local way of speaking from his home region. More recently, many critics have started to see his works in a new way. His books have also started to attract younger readers. Kalle Päätalo received important awards for his career. He got the Pro Finlandia medal and the title of Professor in 1978. In 1994, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Oulu.
Kalle Päätalo was known as "the king of reprints" because his books were so successful and were printed many times. During his lifetime, he published 39 novels, two collections of short stories, and one play. More short stories have been published after he passed away. Four of his books have been made into movies. All five books from his Koillismaa series have been translated into English by Richard Impola.
Kalle Päätalo passed away on November 20, 2000.
Books Translated into English
- Our Daily Bread (Koillismaa, 1960)
- Before the Storm (Selkosen kansaa, 1962)
- Storm over the Land (Myrsky Koillismaassa, 1963)
- After the Storm (Myrskyn jälkeen, 1965)
- The Winter of the Black Snow (Mustan lumen talvi, 1969)
See also
In Spanish: Kalle Päätalo para niños
