Karl Gustaf Larson (5 June 1873 – 2 December 1948), better known as Larin-Kyösti, was a

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

poet. Many of his poems have been set to music by

Yrjö Kilpinen Yrjö Henrik Kilpinen (4 February 18922 March 1959) was a Finnish composer. He was born in Helsinki, and in 1907 he started his studies in the Helsingin Musiikkiopisto (later named Sibelius Academy). In 1910 Kilpinen moved to Vienna to continue h ...

or by

Jean Sibelius Jean Sibelius ( ; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic and 20th-century classical music, early-modern periods. He is widely regarded as his country's greatest com ...

(e.g. ''Kaiutar'', op. 72 no. 4).

Biography

Larson was born in

Hämeenlinna Hämeenlinna (; sv, Tavastehus; krl, Hämienlinna; la, Tavastum or ''Croneburgum'') is a city and municipality of about inhabitants in the heart of the historical province of Tavastia and the modern province of Kanta-Häme in the south of F ...

, Finland. His parents, Gustaf Israel Larson and Sofia Vilhelmina Skog, were both born in Sweden. His father, who operated a restaurant, committed suicide in 1884. Larson started a course of study at 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 1895. In 1897, he published his first collection of poems, derived from Finnish folk life and nature. Larin-Kyösti's depression was often reflected in his writing. In 1906, he attempted suicide on his way to Italy and was sent to a mental hospital in Florence. He remained a lifetime bachelor. In 1912, he established a residence at

Oulunkylä Oulunkylä ( sv, Åggelby, also known as ''Ogeli'') is a suburb and a neighbourhood of Helsinki, the capital of Finland. It is located north from the center of the city. It has been inhabited since the 13th century. Earlier an independent munic ...

, a suburb and a neighbourhood of

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 ...

where he lived for the rest of his life. He died in Oulunkylä in 1948. Larson was buried next to his parents at the Hämeenlinna Cemetery.

References

External links

Biography at Runeberg.org in an old Finnish biography
Finnish male poets 1873 births 1948 deaths 20th-century Finnish poets 20th-century male writers 19th-century Finnish poets 19th-century male writers People from Hämeenlinna {{Finland-poet-stub