Linna, Väinö (1920–1992)

Finnish novelist. Born at Urjala, he worked as a labourer and factory-worker. He caught the attention of the public with his third novel Tuntematon sotilas/The Unknown Soldier 1954, a semi-autobiographical account of the 1941–44 Russo-Finnish war. He became established as Finland's leading post-war novelist with his trilogy Tä ällä Pohjantähden alla/Here Under the North Star 1959–62, which ranks with the writings of Frans Sillanpää and Joel Lehtonen as a portrayal of rural life in Finland.