L. Onerva

Born Hilja Onerva Lehtinen in Helsinki in 1882, she studied languages and art history at the University of Helsinki and abroad. She worked as a French teacher, literary and art critic, editor, and translator before becoming widely known under the pen name L. Onerva.

Onerva published more than twenty collections of poetry as well as novels, short stories, plays, and essays. Her best-known works include Mirdja (1908) and Inari (1913), novels noted for their daring treatment of women’s independence and relationships. Her writing was considered radical for its time, and her poetry was influenced by her close connection with fellow poet Eino Leino and by the Finnish modernist movement.

She married composer Leevi Madetoja in 1913 and remained an important, if sometimes controversial, figure in Finnish cultural life. L. Onerva died in Helsinki in 1972.