Eino Leino, originally Armas Einar Leopold Lönnbohm, was a great Finnish poet and novelist, inspired by Finnish nature and cultural inheritance. His major work Helkavirsiä "Whit songs", (1903-1916), was based on the Kalevala.

Eino Leino was born on 06.07-1878 in Paltamo, near Kajaani. His father, Anders Lönnbohm, was a surveyor, his mother Anna Emilia (Kyrenius) came from a priest and officer's family. Eino Leino grew up as the youngest son in a family of ten children. He was already writing poems at the age of 10 and was encouraged by his older brother Kasimir Leino, who too was a poet. In 1890, at the age of twelve, Eino Leino's poem Kajaanin linna, " The castle of Kajaani", was published in Hämeen sanomat- newspaper. At the same time Kasimir gave his brother the writers name Eino Leino. Eino Leino's father died when Eino Leino was 10 years old and the death of his mother five years later had a deep influence on his moods which is clearly expressed in his poems. Eino Leino translated Runeberg's texts into Finnish when he was only sixteen, and later on also translated Dante and German poetry to Finnish. His first actual collection of poems, Maaliskuun lauluja, " The songs of March", was published in 1896, when he was 18 years old.

Eino Leino first studied in Kajaani, Oulu and afterwards in Hämeenlinna from where he graduated with good results in 1895. He matriculated at The University of Helsinki but failed an important scholar examination which would have assured an indigent student governmental support. This was a setback for the student, but not for the poet. In Helsinki he was introduced to leading personalities in the field of culture by his brother Kasimir. He was discussing highly topical cultural happenings and political development with persons such as Eero Erkko, Juhani Aho, Arvid Järnefelt, Jean Sibelius, Akseli Gallén, Pekka Halonen and Otto Manninen. He became a neo-romantic like most of the intellectual leaders at that time.

In 1898 Eino Leino edited a magazine Nykyaika with his brother Kasimir, with the purpose of influencing Finnish cultural life by bringing European literature to the hands of ordinary people. When economical problems became insuperable in 1899, a free-minded magazine was suppressed and Eino Leino was heavily in debt.

Between the years 1899-1905 he worked as a critic and journalist on the newspaper Päivälehti and afterwards on Helsingin Sanomat as a theatre critic and satirical feuilletonist. Writing to newspapers was his personal tool to communicate with people. In the beginning of his career, he was highly praised by the critics, but the more he was writing satires and openly targeted the money-, and power hungry members of the elite, the more enemies he earned for himself and the tide turned against him.

Eino Leino wasn't very lucky in his love life which is shown in his poems. Eino Leino was married three times. With his first wife Freya Schoulz, he had a daughter Eya, but the marriage was basically over after one year, when he fell in love with a young poetess L. Onerva. Together with her Eino Leino, disappointed at his ungrateful fatherland, left Finland in 1908 planning to stay abroad for years. They ended up in Rome where Leino focused on translating Dante's Divine comedy. In Finland his works didn't have a favorable reception, which hurt an already sensitive poet.

After a cold winter in Rome, Leino returned to Finland. His return after eight months, rather than years as he had said, was embarrassing. Already in Rome Leino had adopted the bohemian role, and back in Finland he was hiding behind a walking stick, brimmed hat and cape, which became his trademark. Society was no longer the same, and Leino devoted himself to his poetry and completely stopped working in regular offices. Nevertheless he still took part in social discussions and was a regular visitor in restaurants such as Kämppi, Catani and Kappeli in Helsinki.

Eino Leino made a successful comeback in 1912, after having held poetry evenings around Finland to clear his reputation. In 1913, just a week before his true love L. Onerva got married with the young composer Leevi Madetoja, Leino married his second wife Aino Kajanus, a young harpist. Once again after a few months Eino Leino's married life was over. The Bohemian life style was in his blood and he couldn't bear the chains middle-class life brought with it.

In December 1915 Eino Leino published his weekly newspaper Sunnuntai. This period of his life was very creative and he started to show an interest in politics again, also another big love of his life, Aino Kallas, a Finnish writer, came into his life. This relationship lasted from 1916-1919, and was a big scandal because she was married to an Estonian diplomat.

The Finnish Civil War (1917-1918) caused Leino great confusion-whether be a monarchist or a republican. After the war, caused by his excessive consumption of alcohol, his sense of reality blurred from time to time and the combination of his rage of creation and self-destruction started to show signs. In spring 1921 Eino Leino traveled to Estonia together with an Estonian poet Gustav Suits and his Finnish wife Aino. The reception there was splendid, he was celebrated as a great poet, and large audiences turned out to listen to him which was a great contrast to how things where in Finland.

After his trip to Estonia, Leino lived together with Aino Suits until he met Hanna Laitinen, who became his third wife. Even though this relationship did not last longer than a few days, they were legally married until Leino died on 10th of January 1926 in Tuusula, at the age of 47. The last years of his life were spent in various rest homes but he still visited his friends often. The death of this poet was an unexpected shock for the Finnish people, who had already forgotten him. Over the years Eino Leino has become the greatest national poet of Finland, although he was rejected during his lifetime.

Eino Leino's literary production includes 32 collections of poems, 25 plays, 25 prose works, 16 translations and 1 screenplay.

The statue of Eino Leino is erected in Esplanadi Park which lies between the market square and Mannerheimintie in Helsinki.

Photo:
Eino Leino 1898, L. Onerva 1907, Eino Leino 1918

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