Hella Wuolijoki

Hella Wuolijoki
Hella Wuolijoki
Born	Hella Ella Murrik June 22, 1886 Helme, Estonia
Died	February 2, 1954(1954-02-02) (aged 67) Helsinki, Finland
Pen name	Juhani Tervapää
Occupation	Author
Language	Finnish
Nationality	Finnish
Ethnicity	Estonian
Citizenship	Finnish

Hella Wuolijoki (née Ella Murrik; June 22, 1886 - February 2, 1954) was a Finnish writer of Estonian origin, known for her Niskavuori series.

Life & career

Wuolijoki was born in Helme, Estonia.

In 1908, she married Sulo Vuolijoki, who was a personal friend of Lenin. They divorced in 1923. Later in her life Wuolijoki started writing her name with the letter W.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Wuolijoki had a literary and political salon that discussed culture and promoted left-wing ideas. She was however not openly communist during those years. Nevertheless, she had secret connections with Cheka. The Finnish police suspected her of being an illegal resident spy, but there was no solid proof until 1943, when she was arrested for hiding a Soviet paratrooper spy and was sentenced to life imprisonment. She was released in 1944 after the ceasefire that ended the Continuation War.

Wuolijoki was a member of the Finnish Parliament and the head of the SKDL parliamentary group from 1946 to 1947. Wuolijoki also served as the director of the national broadcasting company, YLE, from 1945 to 1949.

She died in Helsinki, Finland, in 1954.

Hella Wuolijoki wrote several books under the male pseudonym Juhani Tervapää, characterized by strong female characters. She also wrote a couple of books in collaboration with the author Bertolt Brecht, including Mr Puntila and his Man Matti.

Family

Hella Wuolijoki was the grandmother of the Finnish politician and current Minister for Foreign Affairs Erkki Tuomioja. Salme Dutt, an influential figure in the British Communist movement, was Wuolijoki's sister.

Persondata
Name	Wuolijoki, Ella
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	June 22, 1886
Place of birth	Helme, Estonia
Date of death	February 2, 1954
Place of death	Helsinki, Finland