Heikki Asunta

Heikki Asunta not only wrote poems, novels and plays, but also children’s stories and novellas. After attending school in Tampere, he studied for one year at the drawing school of the Finnish Art Association. In 1927, he made a study trip to Paris and later worked occasionally as a painter. As an artist, Asunta had his first exhibition in 1928 at the Helsinki Hall of Art, and his last at Tampere in 1954. He took part in the Winter War 1939/40 as a battalion officer. He made his living as a journalist, columnist, art critic and lecturer. Having lived in various places around Finland, he returned to his native Ruovesi in 1935. Asunta was particularly interested in the history of his place of birth, where he was one of the founders of a local history museum, in an old barn, which he turned into a studio during the 1940s, and was opened to the public in 1979.

Heikki Asunta received an “Honorable Mention” for his poem Kestä ja voita (Endure and Win) starting with the verse: “The fathers are looking for the sun / summer sea of the sun”. With this poem, he was placed second in the respective category at the 1947 national games, which also included art competitions. It was set to music by Finnish composer Kaarlo Kullervo “Lutu” Linna (born 24.11.1911 in Helsinki – died 19.10.1987 in Helsinki). Later he never mentioned the “Honorable Mention”, probably out of disappointment.