Kasimir Leino

Kasimir Leino, born Kasimir Agathon Lönnbohm in Paltamo in 1866, was a Finnish writer, journalist, and theater man. He belonged to the remarkable Lönnbohm family and was the brother of poet Eino Leino, but he built a creative life of his own before his death in Helsinki in 1919.

His work ranged widely: poetry, short fiction, plays, literary and art criticism, and studies of literature and art history. Sources on Finnish literature describe him as a notably versatile cultural figure, and his poems were later set to music by composers including Jean Sibelius and Oskar Merikanto.

Leino published several poetry collections, including Runokokeita and later selected poems, while also contributing to newspapers and literary culture more broadly. Modern summaries of his career often note both his breadth and his relative obscurity today, making him an interesting rediscovery for listeners curious about the wider world around classic Finnish literature.