Krohn, Leena

(1947-)

   A Finnish novelist, short story writer, poet, and essayist, Krohn began her literary career by publishing a collection of fairy tales, Vihrea vallankumous (1970; The Green Revolution), which was followed by one more such volume and then by some stories, Viimeinen kesavieras (1974; The Last Summer Guest). Next Krohn published a fairy-tale-like novel, Ihmisen vaatteissa (1976; In Human Garb), that featured such conflicts as those between nature and civilization. Her career took off when she published Donna Quijote ja muita kaupunkilaisia (1983; tr. Donna Quixote and Other Citizens; Gold of Ophir, 1995); this book is a collection of short stories which share the same protagonist, an eccentric woman living in a city. In Krohn s next book, Tainaron (1985; tr. 2004), an epistolary novel of sorts, the characters are insects. Another book about the eccentric lady followed, entitled Oofirin kultaa (1987; tr. Dona Quixote and Other Citizens; Gold of Ophir, 1995). In the novel Umbra (1990) the title character is a collector of paradoxes.

   A later volume of short stories entitled somewhat paradoxically Ala lue tata kirjaa (1994; Do Not Read This Book) was followed by another short story collection, Ettei etalsyys ikavaisi (1995; That Distance Shall Not Yearn). Then came Pereat mundus, romaani, era-anlainen (1998; Pereat Mundus: A Novel of Sorts), several other novels, and Unelmakuolema (2004; A Dream Death), which tells about Lucia, an anesthetist who suffers from insomnia and works two jobs, one at a clinic that helps people to die easily and one where they freeze you in order to thaw you again once a cure for your illness has been found.

   Krohn s essays have been published as Rapina ja muita papereita (1989; Rustling and Other Papers), Tribar (1993), Kyna ja kone (1996; The Pen and the Machine), and 3 sokeaa miesta ja 1 nakeva (2003; Three Blind Men and One You Can See). Krohn s poetry emphasizes metrical patterns.