Kirsti Katariina Simonsuuri (26 December 1945,

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

– 29 June 2019, HelsinkiKirjailija Kirsti Simonsuuri on kuollut.
Yleisradio, 29 June 2019 (in Finnish).) was a Finnish professor, writer, poet, and researcher of ancient literature. Her honors included the J. H. Erkko Award for Best First Book (1980) and the Wolfson Fellowship Award from the British Academy (1981).

Biography

Simonsuuri received her bachelor's degree (1968) and master's degree (1971) from the

University of Helsinki The University of Helsinki ( fi, Helsingin yliopisto, sv, Helsingfors universitet, abbreviated UH) is a public research university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but founded in the city of Turku (in Swedish ''Åbo'') in 1640 as the ...

. In 1972, she received a second master's degree from the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

and five years later, a Ph.D. from the same school. From 1978–1981, Simonsuuri was a professor of literature at the

University of Oulu The University of Oulu ( fi, Oulun yliopisto) is one of the largest universities in Finland, located in the city of Oulu. It was founded on July 8, 1958. The university has around 13,000 students and 2,900 staff. 21 International Master's P ...

. In 1981–1982, she was a British Academy Wolfson Fellow at the

Warburg Institute The Warburg Institute is a research institution associated with the University of London in central London, England. A member of the School of Advanced Study, its focus is the study of cultural history and the role of images in culture – cros ...

. In 1984–1988, she was Fulbright Visiting Scholar at

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, and

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. In 1989–1990, she was a visiting scholar at the Centre Louis Gernet; in 1992–1993, she was a scientific fellow at

Institute for Advanced Study, Berlin The Institute for Advanced Study in Berlin (german: Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin) is an interdisciplinary institute founded in 1981 in Grunewald, Berlin, Germany, dedicated to research projects in the natural and social sciences. It is modeled ...

; in 1994, she was a visiting fellow at

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the s ...

. In 1994–1995, she again served as a professor of literature, this time at the University of Helsinki. From 1995–1998, she was the Director of the

Finnish Institute at Athens The Finnish Institute at Athens (Greek language, Greek: Φινλανδικό Iνστιτούτο Aθηνών, ''Finlandikó Institoúto Athinón'', ''FIA'') is a scientific institute of Finland, operating in Athens, Greece. The institute's main o ...

. In 1998–1999, she worked at the

Academy of Finland The Academy of Finland ( fi, Suomen Akatemia, sv, Finlands Akademi) is a governmental funding body for scientific research in Finland. It is based in Helsinki. Yearly, the Academy administers over 260 million euros to Finnish research activities. O ...

as a research professor and then served as an academy fellow during the period of 2000 to 2005. She returned to the Institute for Advanced Study, Berlin, in 2001 as a Scientific Fellow.

Partial works

Non-fiction books and essays

* ''Homer's original genius: eighteenth-century notions of the early Greek epic (1688–1798).'' 1979. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge. . * ''Nopanheittäjä.'' 1989. Kirjayhtymä. Helsinki. . * ''Ihmiset ja jumalat: myytit ja mytologiat.'' 1994. Kirjayhtymä. Helsinki. . * ''Akropolis.'' 1999. Tammi. Helsinki. .

Poetry collections

* ''Murattikaide.'' 1980. Kirjayhtymä. Helsinki. . * ''Tuntematon tekijä.'' 1982. Kirjayhtymä. Helsinki. . * ''Euroopan ryöstö.'' 1984. Kirjayhtymä. Helsinki. . * ''Meri, ei mikään maa.'' 1987. Kirjayhtymä. Helsinki. . * ''Enkelten pysäkki.'' 1990. Kirjayhtymä. Helsinki. . * ''Onni ja barbaria.'' 1995. Kirjayhtymä. Helsinki. . * ''Rakkaus tuli kun lähdin maan ääriin.'' 2000. Tammi. Helsinki. . * ''Taivaanrannan ajuri. Valitut runot.'' 2005. Tammi. Helsinki. .

Prose

* ''Pohjoinen yökirja.'' 1981. Kirjayhtymä. Helsinki. . * ''Paholaispoika.'' 1986. Kirjayhtymä. Helsinki. . * ''Miehen muotokuva.'' 1992. Kirjayhtymä. Helsinki. . * ''Eläintarhanhuvila yhdeksän.'' 2002. Tammi. Helsinki. .

Translations

Virginia Woolf Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer, considered one of the most important modernist 20th-century authors and a pioneer in the use of stream of consciousness as a narrative device. Woolf was born i ...

: ''Oma huone.'' 1980. Kirjayhtymä. Helsinki. . *

Sylvia Plath Sylvia Plath (; October 27, 1932 – February 11, 1963) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer. She is credited with advancing the genre of confessional poetry and is best known for two of her published collections, ''The ...

: ''Ariel.'' 1983. Kirjayhtymä. Helsinki. . * Virginia Woolf: ''Orlando.'' 1984. Kirjayhtymä. Helsinki. . *

Euripides Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful e ...

: ''

Medeia In Greek mythology, Medea (; grc, Μήδεια, ''Mēdeia'', perhaps implying "planner / schemer") is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, a niece of Circe and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Medea figures in the myth of Jason and ...

.'' 1999. Lasipalatsi. Helsinki. . *

Aiskhylos Aeschylus (, ; grc-gre, Αἰσχύλος ; c. 525/524 – c. 456/455 BC) was an ancient Greek tragedian, and is often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Greek ...

: ''

Oresteia The ''Oresteia'' ( grc, Ὀρέστεια) is a trilogy of Greek tragedies written by Aeschylus in the 5th century BCE, concerning the murder of Agamemnon by Clytemnestra, the murder of Clytemnestra by Orestes, the trial of Orestes, the end of th ...

.'' 2003. Tammi. Helsinki. . *

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

: Sonetit * Virginia Woolf: ''Jaakobin huone.'' 2008. Tammi. Helsinki. . * William Shakespeare: ''Miten haluatte, Kuten haluatte.'' 2010. WSOY. Helsinki. .

Anthologies

* ''Enchanting Beasts. An anthology of modern women poets of Finland.'' 1990. Forest Books. Lontoo. .