Saima Rauha Maria Harmaja (8 May 1913,

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 ...

– 21 April 1937) was a Finnish poet and writer. She is known for her tragic life and early death, which are reflected in her sensitive poems. She came from a prominent family; her maternal grandfather was

Arvid Genetz Arvid Oskar Gustaf Genetz (1 July 1848— 3 May 1915) was a Finland, Finnish politician, poet and linguist. He wrote under the pseudonym Arvi Jännes. His best known poems are "Herää Suomi”, ”Karjala” and ”Väinölän lapset”. He ...

. She wrote four collections of poetry. At the age of 15, Harmaja contracted the lung disease

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

. There were good seasons and bad seasons, and in April 1937 she died at the age of 23. She is buried in the

Hietaniemi Cemetery The Hietaniemi cemetery ( fi, Hietaniemen hautausmaa, sv, Sandudds begravningsplats) is located mainly in the Lapinlahti quarter and partly in the Etu-Töölö district of Helsinki, the capital of Finland. It is the location for Finnish state ...

in Helsinki. Saima Harmaja kept a diary, which was published posthumously. A literary club, ''Saima Harmaja Society'', was founded in her memory.

Bibliography

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Notes

External links

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Saima Harmaja Society

Translations of poetry
1913 births 1937 deaths Writers from Helsinki 20th-century Finnish poets 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis Finnish women poets Women diarists 20th-century Finnish women writers Burials at Hietaniemi Cemetery Tuberculosis deaths in Finland 20th-century diarists {{Finland-writer-stub