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Aleksis Kivi (Finnish pronunciation:[ˈɑleksisˈkiʋi]ⓘ; born Alexis Stenvall; 10 October 1834 – 31 December 1872)[2] was a Finnish writer who wrote the first significant novel in the
Finnish language, Seitsemän veljestä ("Seven Brothers"[3]), published in 1870. He is also known for his 1864 play, Nummisuutarit ("Heath Cobblers"[4]). Although Kivi was among the very earliest writers of prose and lyrics in Finnish, he is still considered one of the greatest.[5]
Aleksis Stenvall was born in
Palojoki village,
Nurmijärvi,
Grand Duchy of Finland. His parents were the village
tailor Erik Johan Stenvall (1798–1866) and Anna-Kristiina Hamberg (1793–1863).[2] Aleksis had three older brothers – Johannes, Emanuel, and Albert – and a younger sister, Agnes, who died in 1851 at the age of 13.[7]
In 1846, Kivi left for school in
Helsinki. In 1859, he was accepted into the
University of Helsinki, where he studied literature and developed an interest in the theatre. His first play was Kullervo (1860), based on a tragic tale from the Kalevala, Finland's national epic. He also met[when?] the famous journalist and statesman
Johan Vilhelm Snellman who became his supporter.[8]
From 1863 onwards, Kivi devoted his time to writing. He wrote 12 plays and a collection of poetry. The novel Seitsemän veljestä ("Seven Brothers") took him ten years to write. Literary critics, especially the prominent
August Ahlqvist, disapproved of the book, at least nominally because of its "rudeness" (
Romanticism was at its height at the time).[8] Ahlqvist also wrote "It is a ridiculous work and a blot on the name of Finnish literature".[9] It is known that no other critic hated Kivi's writings as much as Ahlqvist, in which case the situation could almost be called "
persecution",[10] but the
Fennomans[who?] also disapproved of Kivi's not-so-virtuous depictions of rural life, which were far from their idealized point of view,[8] and Kivi's excessive drinking may have alienated some.[citation needed]
In 1865, Kivi won the State Prize for his still often performed comedy Nummisuutarit ("Heath Cobblers"). However, the less than enthusiastic reception of his books was taking its toll and he was already drinking heavily. His main benefactor
Charlotta Lönnqvist, with whom Kivi lived in
Siuntio at the time of his creative writing, could not help him after the 1860s.[8]
By 1870, while he was living at
Franzén's cottage in
Tapanila, Helsinki,[11] Kivi's health collapsed. Assailed by
typhoid and attacks of
delirium he was hospitalised. His doctor diagnosed melancholia due to his "injured dignity as a writer". The psychiatrist
Kalle Achté concludes, based on a documentary survey, that Kivi was suffering from of
schizophrenia,[8] although advanced
borreliosis has also been suggested.[12]
Kivi died in poverty in 1872 (aged 38) in
Tuusula, at the home of his brother Albert.[13] According to legend, his last words were, "I live" (
Finnish: "Minä elän").[14]
Impola, Richard A., trans. Aleksis Kivi, Seven Brothers (English translation of Seitsemän veljestä). New Paltz, NY: Finnish-American Translators Association, 1991.
Matson, Alex, trans. Aleksis Kivi, Seven Brothers (English translation of Seitsemän veljestä). 1st edition, New York: Coward-McCann, 1929. 2nd edition, Helsinki: Tammi, 1952. 3rd edition, edited by Irma Rantavaara, Helsinki: Tammi, 1973.
Robinson, Douglas, trans. Aleksis Kivi's Heath Cobblers and Kullervo. St. Cloud, MN: North Star Press of St. Cloud, 1993.
^Translated as Seven Brothers by Alex Matson (in 1929) and again by Richard Impola (in 1991). Translated as The Brothers Seven by
Douglas Robinson (in 2017).
^Rahikainen, Esko.
"Kansalliskirjailija". Aleksis Kivi (in Finnish). Nurmijärven kunta. Archived from
the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2020.