2020-10-10 Sat

Finnish Literature Day is celebrated on October 10 each year. The date was chosen because it was the anniversary of the birth of Alexis Kivi, one of the greatest Finnish writers of all times.

Alexis Kivi was born on October 10, 1834. While studying literature at the University of Helsinki, he got acquainted with the famous journalist, philosopher and statesman Johan Vilhelm Snellman. Kivi became interested in theatre and wrote his first play, Kullervo. It was based on a tragic story from the Finnish epic Kalevala.

He was a prolific playwright but is most remembered for his novel Seven Brothers. Seven Brothers were published in 1870. This event marked the end of an era dominated by authors who wrote in Swedish and created a basis for a new generation of Finnish authors. Alexis Kivi and his successors such as Juhani Aho and Minna Canth focused on depicting ordinary people in a realistic way.

The zero Euro commemorative banknote was issued to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the publication of his main work” The Seven Brothers”. The banknote depicts the caricature of the main characters of the book in the centre.

Image Courtesy: euro-souvenierscheine.de