Torsti Lehtinen
Encyclopedia
Torsti Lehtinen, Finnish writer and philosopher, was born in Helsinki
in 1942. He studied philosophy, theology and literature at the University of Helsinki
.
In 1959 he made his first trip abroad, to Copenhagen
, a city that became and has remained a foreign focal point for him. The years 1979-1982 he lived in Stockholm
before returning to Finland, first to Middle-Finland and then, in 1999, to his native Helsinki.
Since his youth he tried his hand in some 40 different professions, the more serious of which were working as a teacher for the socially handicapped for five years and as a software consultant for Nokia
computers for nine years.
In 1982 he published his first novel
, Kun päättyy Pitkäsilta / Where ends the Longbridge (second edition 1992, third 1997). With the publication of his second novel, Kuin unta ja varjoa / Like dream and shadow, in 1983, he became a full-time writer. Since then he has written more than 20 works, including novels, aphorism
s, poems, essay
s, play
s and non-fiction. He has also edited several books and been a co-writer of around 50 books. Parts of his production have been translated
into Danish
, Swedish
, German
, Estonian
and Russian
. Torsti Lehtinen has also been active as a translator. His translations include the main works of Søren Kierkegaard
, as well as works from Swedish and English.
Torsti Lehtinen has taught philosophy and creative writing at many Finnish universities and academic institutions, and has held seminar
s and given lectures at, amongst others, the universities of Helsinki, Tartu
and Reykjavik
, and the Nordens folkliga akademi in Gothenburg
.
He has been awarded several literature prizes, e.g. The WSOY Literature Award, and he won The National Biennial Championships in Essayism in 1995.
Torsti Lehtinen served on the board of the Middle-Finland Writers’ Association, and, after moving back to Helsinki, was invited to become president of the Helsinki Writers’ Guild in 2003. He also served as vice-president of the Finnish Writers’ Association (2000–2005) and was created an honorary member of The Middle-Finland Writers’ Association in 1995.
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...
in 1942. He studied philosophy, theology and literature at the University of Helsinki
University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
.
In 1959 he made his first trip abroad, to Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, a city that became and has remained a foreign focal point for him. The years 1979-1982 he lived in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
before returning to Finland, first to Middle-Finland and then, in 1999, to his native Helsinki.
Since his youth he tried his hand in some 40 different professions, the more serious of which were working as a teacher for the socially handicapped for five years and as a software consultant for Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
computers for nine years.
In 1982 he published his first novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
, Kun päättyy Pitkäsilta / Where ends the Longbridge (second edition 1992, third 1997). With the publication of his second novel, Kuin unta ja varjoa / Like dream and shadow, in 1983, he became a full-time writer. Since then he has written more than 20 works, including novels, aphorism
Aphorism
An aphorism is an original thought, spoken or written in a laconic and memorable form.The term was first used in the Aphorisms of Hippocrates...
s, poems, essay
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
s, play
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
s and non-fiction. He has also edited several books and been a co-writer of around 50 books. Parts of his production have been translated
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
into Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
, Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Estonian
Estonian language
Estonian is the official language of Estonia, spoken by about 1.1 million people in Estonia and tens of thousands in various émigré communities...
and Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
. Torsti Lehtinen has also been active as a translator. His translations include the main works of Søren Kierkegaard
Søren Kierkegaard
Søren Aabye Kierkegaard was a Danish Christian philosopher, theologian and religious author. He was a critic of idealist intellectuals and philosophers of his time, such as Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling and Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel...
, as well as works from Swedish and English.
Torsti Lehtinen has taught philosophy and creative writing at many Finnish universities and academic institutions, and has held seminar
Seminar
Seminar is, generally, a form of academic instruction, either at an academic institution or offered by a commercial or professional organization. It has the function of bringing together small groups for recurring meetings, focusing each time on some particular subject, in which everyone present is...
s and given lectures at, amongst others, the universities of Helsinki, Tartu
University of Tartu
The University of Tartu is a classical university in the city of Tartu, Estonia. University of Tartu is the national university of Estonia; it is the biggest and highest-ranked university in Estonia...
and Reykjavik
Reykjavík University
Reykjavík University is a private university in Reykjavík, Iceland, and is chartered by the Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Icelandic Industries, and the Confederation of Icelandic Employers....
, and the Nordens folkliga akademi in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
.
He has been awarded several literature prizes, e.g. The WSOY Literature Award, and he won The National Biennial Championships in Essayism in 1995.
Torsti Lehtinen served on the board of the Middle-Finland Writers’ Association, and, after moving back to Helsinki, was invited to become president of the Helsinki Writers’ Guild in 2003. He also served as vice-president of the Finnish Writers’ Association (2000–2005) and was created an honorary member of The Middle-Finland Writers’ Association in 1995.