Larin-Kyösti

Karl Gustaf Larson (5 June 1873 – 2 December 1948), better known as Larin-Kyösti, was a Finnish poet. Many of his poems have been set to music by Yrjö Kilpinen or by Jean Sibelius (e.g. Kaiutar, op. 72 no. 4).

Biography

Larson was born in Hämeenlinna, Finland. His parents, Gustaf Israel Larson and Sofia Vilhelmina Skog, were both born in Sweden. His father, who operated a restaurant, committed suicide in 1884. Larson started a course of study at the University of Helsinki in 1895. In 1897, he published his first collection of poems, derived from Finnish folk life and nature. Larin-Kyösti's depression was often reflected in his writing. In 1906, he attempted suicide on his way to Italy and was sent to a mental hospital in Florence. He remained a lifetime bachelor.

In 1912, he established a residence at Oulunkylä, a suburb and a neighbourhood of Helsinki where he lived for the rest of his life. He died in Oulunkylä in 1948. Larson was buried next to his parents at the Hämeenlinna Cemetery.