Katri Vala

Katri Vala (actually Karin Alice Heikel nee Wadenström, born September 11, 1901 Muonio , † May 28, 1944 Eksjö ) was a Finnish poet and translator.

Life and work

Vala grew up in Ilomantsi and Porvoo . She had a younger brother, Erkki Vala (1904-1991). She worked as a primary school teacher from 1922 until she fell ill with tuberculosis in 1928. She then traveled to Europe and finally settled in Helsinki in 1930 , after which she married the chemist and left-wing activist Armas Heikelin. The death of her first daughter shortly after the birth plunged her into deep depression. Their son Mauri Henrik was born in 1934. She worked again as a teacher before the consequences of tuberculosis forced her to give up her job and to move to her brother in Sweden in 1940, where she died in a sanatorium in 1944.

She belonged to the Tulenkantajat , a group of Finnish writers who distinguished themselves through their political commitment. Vala was one of the first Finnish poets to write poetry in free rhythms. Her topics are directed primarily against social grievances and the rising fascism of her time. A museum is dedicated to her in Ilomantsi.

Selected Works

• Kaukainen puutarha, 1924
• Sininen ovi (Blue Door), 1926
• Paluu (return), 1934
• Kootut runot (collected poems), 1945 (posthumous)

Web links

• kirjasto.sci.fi ( Memento from December 24, 2014 in the Internet Archive )