Published in 1998, ‘Ystävän muotokuva’ (A friend’s portrait) is a novel by the Finnish writer and poet Pentti Holapa that was awarded the ‘Finlandia Prize‘ in 1998. Born in Ylikiiminki to a relatively poor family of modest means, Pentti Vihtori Holappa (11 August 1927 – 10 October 2017) was a Finnish poet, writer and politician who held numerous jobs before becoming a political journalist and eventually obtaining a government post. He was self-educated, but produced around fifteen volumes of poetry, as well as several novels and essays. He also worked as a translator: among the poets and authors whose work he translated into Finnish are Charles Baudelaire, Pierre Reverdy, and J. M. G. Le Clézio. Between February and October 1972, Holappa was Minister of Culture and Education in the Paasio II Cabinet representing the Social Democratic Party of Finland. The book ‘Ystävän muotokuva’ (A friend’s portrait) tells about the passionate relationship between two men lasting several decades. When the book was published, it was a critical success and, in addition to Finland, it has also been translated into German and French.
