Mirkka Rekola facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mirkka Rekola
Born	Mirkka Elina Rekola (1931-06-26)26 June 1931 Tampere, Finland
Died	5 February 2014(2014-02-05) (aged 82) Helsinki, Finland
Occupation	Poet, aphorist, essayist
Language	Finnish

Mirkka Elina Rekola (born June 26, 1931 – died February 5, 2014) was a Finnish writer from Tampere. She wrote many poems, aphorisms (which are short, clever sayings), and essays (short pieces of writing about a topic). For a long time, her poems were thought to be a bit tricky to understand. But by the 1990s, more and more people started to enjoy her work.

In 2020, a special mural called Runopuu (which means "Poem Tree") was painted in Tampere. It was created by Teemu Mäenpää. This mural includes a line from one of Mirkka Rekola's famous poems: "Minä rakastan sinua, minä sanon sen kaikille" (which means "I Love You, I Tell Everyone").

Mirkka Rekola passed away in Helsinki in 2014.

Mirkka Rekola's Published Works

Mirkka Rekola wrote many books during her career. These include collections of her poems, aphorisms, and essays. Some of her works have also been translated into other languages.

Collections of Poems

Here are some of the poetry books Mirkka Rekola published:

• Vedessä palaa (1954) ("It's Burning in the Water")
• Tunnit (1957) ("The Hours")
• Syksy muuttaa linnut (1961) ("Autumn Moves the Birds")
• Ilo ja epäsymmetria (1965) ("Joy and Asymmetry")
• Anna päivän olla kaikki (1968) ("Let the Day be Everything")
• Minä rakastan sinua, minä sanon sen kaikille (WSOY, 1972, ISBN: 951-0-22849-4) ("I Love You, I Tell Everyone")
• Tuulen viime vuosi (1974) ("The Wind's Last Year")
• Kohtaamispaikka vuosi (1977) ("Meeting Place: Year")
• Runot 1954–1978 (1979)
• Kuutamourakka (1981) ("Moonlighting")
• Puun syleilemällä (1983) ("Embracing a Tree")
• Tuoreessa muistissa kevät (1987) ("In Fresh Memory the Spring")
• Maskuja (WSOY, 1987, ISBN: 951-0-27282-5)
• Kuka lukee kanssasi (1990) ("Who Reads with You")
• Maa ilmaan heitetty (1995) ("Soil Thrown in the Air")
• Taivas päivystää (1996) ("The Sky's on Duty")
• Virran molemmin puolin. Runoja 1954–1996 (1997) ("On Both Sides of the River")
• Maskuja (2002)
• Valekuun reitti (2004) ("The Route of the False Moon")

Collections of Aphorisms

Aphorisms are short, wise sayings. Mirkka Rekola also wrote several books filled with these clever thoughts:

• Muistikirja (1969) ("Notebook")
• Maailmat lumen vesistöissä (1978) ("The Worlds in the Waters of Snow")
• Silmänkantama (1984) ("As Far as I Can See")
• Tuoreessa muistissa kevät, aforistiset kokoelmat (1998)
• Muistinavaruus (2000) ("The Space of Memory")

Books Translated into Other Languages

Mirkka Rekola's writings were popular enough to be translated for readers in other countries:

• Glädje och asymmetri (1990) - This book was translated into Swedish.
• Joie et asymetrie (1987) - This is the French translation of Ilo ja epäsymmetria.
• 88 Poems (WSOY, 2000, ISBN: 978-951-0-24783-9) - This collection was translated into English by Anselm Hollo.
• Himmel aus blauem Feuer (2001) - This book was translated into German.

Awards and Honors

Mirkka Rekola received many important awards for her writing. These awards recognize her significant contributions to Finnish literature.

Major Awards Received

• Tampereen kaupungin kirjallisuuspalkinto (Tampere City Literary Award) in 1958, 1962, and 1965.
• Valtion kirjallisuuspalkinto (State Literary Award) in 1966, 1969, 1973, and 1982.
• Eino Leinon palkinto (Eino Leino Prize) in 1979. This is a very respected literary award in Finland.
• Suomi-palkinto (Finland Prize) in 1995.
• Tanssiva karhu -palkinto (Dancing Bear Prize) in 1997.
• Vuoden runoilija -palkinto (Poet of the Year Award) in 1998.
• She was made an honorary doctor by the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Helsinki in 2000.
• Alex Matson -palkinto (Alex Matson Prize) in 2003.
• P. Mustapää -palkinto (P. Mustapää Prize) in 2004.

Award Nominations

Mirkka Rekola was also nominated for other important awards:

• Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 2000. This is a major international literary award.
• Tanssiva karhu -palkinto (Dancing Bear Prize) in 2005.