Satu

Koskimies

Born 12 March, 1941, in Helsinki. Six
collections of poetry, editorial work.
Poetry programmes for the Finnish
Broadcasting Company. Poetry editor
at a Helsinki publishing house

'I write, therefore I am. Making a poem involves identity. Writing, giving birth to a poem is difficult, impossible, slow, excruciating, and yet: the overwhelming joy that creative work can give you in its course, is beyond comparison. Where does the subject matter come from? How does a poem come into this world? There are no answers to these eternal questions, for the answers lie hidden in the bottom mud of consciousness, in the depth of subconscious darkness, to where a word casts its crushing light and reveals what has crept onto paper: a poem.
It is easier to talk about the powerful sources of creative writing than about the actual creative process. Ever since I was quite young, nature has given me comfort and visions, it has been filled with life that can be verbally animated, it has yielded beauty and devotion, wonder and delight, it has allowed a pantheistic entering into, and above all - as for instance in my collection "The Heart of the Dark King" - it has offered itself, so to speak, as the mental and lyrical stage of strong love experiences. Love themes occupy a central place in my work. Mythical nature themes have also become more intimately felt there. For me, a poem is, to a large extent, a whole that is sung; Finnish folklore has influenced my idea of poetic language. I have a passionate love relationship with words; my favourite reading is the etymological dictionary.
I have two grown-up children. I share my life with my loved one and with my cat.'

[next][previous][contents][Enchanting Beasts]