Published in 1991, ‘Elävien kirjoissa’ (‘The Books of the Living’) is a poetry collection written by Finnish poet Arto Melleri that won the ‘Finlandia Prize‘ in 1991. Arto Matti Vihtori Melleri (7 September 1956 in Lappajärvi – 13 May 2005 in Helsinki) was a Finnish poet and writer who gained fame with the play ‘Pete Q’ in the 1970s. He studied at the ‘Theatre Academy of Helsinki’ between 1976 – 1980 and was granted an artist’s Finnish state pension in 2003. Melleri was a diverse writer, an archetype of a Finnish bohemian poet: his output consisted of poetry, collections of short stories, plays, a film script and an opera libretto. Married to Nadja Pyykkö, he was hit by a car in 1998, causing him brain damage which eventually led to his death. Tahvo Hirvonen made a 2003 documentary film about Arto Melleri, titled ‘Wanderer of a Lonely Star’. In Meller’s characteristic life-flavored style, the variegated, unpolished and rough expression of ‘Elävien kirjoissa’ reflects life and society from several different perspectives. In the book, Melleri has removed the props of romantic descriptions and moved to a more stripped-down reality: without giving up the richness of shades, the dominant genre is realistic.
