Kerttu-Kaarina Suosalmi

Kerttu-Kaarina Suosalmi was a Finnish author, best known for depicting the ordinary struggles of the 'everyman'.

Works

Suosalmi's first two publications were poetry collections. After that, her other, over 20 works range from novels to short stories and fairytales, as well as stage plays and film scripts.
Her themes included the dark side of provincial life and of the welfare society, and the mental and physical struggles of ordinary people, often underneath the visible surface.
Her style has been described as rich and multi-layered, reminiscent of that of renaissance writers.

Awards and recognition

Suosalmi won the four times, in 1970, 1977, 1983 ja 1989.
In 1976, she was awarded the medal of the Order of the Lion of Finland.
In 1993, Suosalmi received the of the Finnish Literature Society for her career achievements.
She was an honorary member of the Union of Finnish Writers.

Personal life

Suosalmi qualified as a social worker in 1946. For a while she worked as a teacher, before embarking on her writing career full-time.
She was married to the painter, and the couple had one son. She died only a few weeks after her husband.