Timo K. Mukka
Encyclopedia
Timo Kustaa Mukka was a Finnish
author who wrote about the lives of people in Lapland.
in Sweden
. During his life Mukka studied at the Academy of Fine Arts
in Helsinki
and completed nine novels, written in a lyrical prose style, about the harsh conditions in Lapland, the region of his childhood and of most of his adult life. These books were published in the years between 1964 and 1970.
In the early 1960s there sprang up a movement in Finnish literature called spontaneous-confessional fiction. It was heavily influenced by the writings of Henry Miller
. Its two most prominent representatives were the enfants terribles of modern Finnish literature, poet and translator Pentti Saarikoski
and author Hannu Salama
. Among the writers belonging to this movement, Mukka is considered the most original as well as the most consistent in his writing.
In 1973 there was a story on Mukka in the Finnish magazine Hymy
which is believed to have contributed to his early demise.
Mukka died in Rovaniemi
, capital of the Lapland region of Finland
in 1973.
Mukka's first novel, The Earth is a Sinful Song, was in 1973 adapted into an extremely popular movie, The Land of Our Ancesters
, the first film by the Finnish director, Rauni Mollberg
. The film's cinema verite style reflects the author's style precisely. Upon its 1974 release, it was the most widely attended film in Finnish film history. However the Finnish National Film Board limited its distribution.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
author who wrote about the lives of people in Lapland.
Life and work
Timo Mukka was born in BollnäsBollnäs
Bollnäs is a locality and the seat of Bollnäs Municipality, Gävleborg County, Sweden with 12,455 inhabitants in 2005.- History :In written sources Bollnäs is traced from 1312, by a vicar named Ingemund who referred to it as Baldenaes, which means "the large isthmus," referring to the isthmus into a...
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. During his life Mukka studied at the Academy of Fine Arts
Academy of Fine Arts (Finland)
The Finnish Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki, Finland provides the highest university-level theoretical and practical training in the country in fine arts....
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
and completed nine novels, written in a lyrical prose style, about the harsh conditions in Lapland, the region of his childhood and of most of his adult life. These books were published in the years between 1964 and 1970.
In the early 1960s there sprang up a movement in Finnish literature called spontaneous-confessional fiction. It was heavily influenced by the writings of Henry Miller
Henry Miller
Henry Valentine Miller was an American novelist and painter. He was known for breaking with existing literary forms and developing a new sort of 'novel' that is a mixture of novel, autobiography, social criticism, philosophical reflection, surrealist free association, and mysticism, one that is...
. Its two most prominent representatives were the enfants terribles of modern Finnish literature, poet and translator Pentti Saarikoski
Pentti Saarikoski
Pentti Saarikoski was one of the most important poets in the literary scene of Finland during the 60's and 70's...
and author Hannu Salama
Hannu Salama
Hannu Salama is a Finnish author.- Biography and work :Hannu Salama was born in Kouvola, Kymenlaakso region in Southern Finland. He spent his childhood in the Pispala district of the city of Tampere, in a traditional working-class area with working class politics and culture...
. Among the writers belonging to this movement, Mukka is considered the most original as well as the most consistent in his writing.
In 1973 there was a story on Mukka in the Finnish magazine Hymy
Hymy
Hymy is a Finnish magazine, which was launched in 1959 by publisher Urpo Lahtinen and was named after his wife Hymy Lahtinen. In the 1960s and 1970s Hymy became a success with sensationalist stories containing lots of sex and gossip about Finnish celebrities, often verging on the invasion of privacy...
which is believed to have contributed to his early demise.
Mukka died in Rovaniemi
Rovaniemi
Rovaniemi is a city and municipality of Finland. It is the administrative capital and commercial centre of Finland's northernmost province, Lapland. It is situated close to the Arctic Circle and is between the hills of Ounasvaara and Korkalovaara, at the confluence of the Kemijoki River and its...
, capital of the Lapland region of Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
in 1973.
Mukka's first novel, The Earth is a Sinful Song, was in 1973 adapted into an extremely popular movie, The Land of Our Ancesters
The Land of Our Ancesters
The Land of Our Ancesters is a 1973 Finnish drama film directed by Rauni Mollberg and based on the novel Maa on syntinen laulu by late Finnish author Timo K. Mukka...
, the first film by the Finnish director, Rauni Mollberg
Rauni Mollberg
Rauni Mollberg was a Finnish film director who directed movies and TV movies.In 1963 Mollberg directed movies for YLE. He directed a version of The Unknown Soldier in 1985, 30 years after Edvin Laine directed the original version of it. Mollberg's movie's plot was same as Laine's movie...
. The film's cinema verite style reflects the author's style precisely. Upon its 1974 release, it was the most widely attended film in Finnish film history. However the Finnish National Film Board limited its distribution.