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CC 156 2013
2 euro coin
Proof
2 Euro proof with 10 Euro proof (Combo pack F.E. Sillanpää)
Finland · 125th birthday of Nobel Prize winner Frans Eemil Sillanpää
Mintage1,000
Issue price€90.20
Issue date4 Nov 2013
Edge letteringSUOMI FINLAND + 3 lion heads
Issue occasion
The coin commemorates the 125th birthday of the Nobel Prize in Literature laureate F. E. SILLANPÄÄ, who was honoured in 1939, in particular for “Miehen tie” and “Nuorena nukkunut”. The design shows his portrait, with his name in a semicircle above it and the years of his life, 1888 and 1964, to the side. Sillanpää was considered Finland’s unofficial “grandfather” because of his radio broadcasts and Christmas columns.
The design
The inner part of the coin features a portrait of Sillanpää. Along the upper edge, the name “F. E. SILLANPÄÄ” is inscribed in a semicircle. On the left are the year of birth “1888” and the mintmark. On the right are the year of death “1964”, the name of the issuing country “FI” and the year of issue “2013”.
The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the outer ring of the coin.
The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the outer ring of the coin.
Background on the topic
Frans Eemil Sillanpää came from a farming family in Hämeenkyrö in southwestern Finland. He attended secondary school in Tampere and subsequently studied natural sciences at the University of Helsinki, but did not complete his studies. His engagement with biology shaped his literary perspective: in his works, people appear as part of natural cycles and at the same time as dependent on their origins, social status and living conditions.
His literary work emerged during a period of profound change. Finland became independent in 1917; the following year, the Civil War led to a division between the “Reds” and the “Whites”. Sillanpää addressed this conflict as early as 1919 in the novel *Hurskas kurjuus*. At its centre is an impoverished farm labourer who ends up on the side of the Reds and is executed after their defeat. The war is not portrayed as a heroic story, but from the limited perspective of a socially disadvantaged person. This distinguished the novel from many contemporary accounts of the conflict.
In other works, too, Sillanpää primarily depicted rural Finland. His characters are farmers, domestic servants and farm labourers whose personal lives are closely connected with the landscape, the seasons and social change. His style combines precise observation of nature with psychological portrayal. In this way, he gave literary space to population groups that had previously been less prominent in Finnish high literature.
Sillanpää was the first Finnish writer to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature and remains Finland’s only laureate in this category to this day. The honour came in the year in which the Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union began. As a result, his international recognition acquired an additional national dimension in the Finnish public consciousness.
The choice of this subject for a coin therefore relates not only to a biographical anniversary. Sillanpää also represents the international recognition of Finnish literature, the depiction of rural society and the literary treatment of the early decades of independent Finland.
His literary work emerged during a period of profound change. Finland became independent in 1917; the following year, the Civil War led to a division between the “Reds” and the “Whites”. Sillanpää addressed this conflict as early as 1919 in the novel *Hurskas kurjuus*. At its centre is an impoverished farm labourer who ends up on the side of the Reds and is executed after their defeat. The war is not portrayed as a heroic story, but from the limited perspective of a socially disadvantaged person. This distinguished the novel from many contemporary accounts of the conflict.
In other works, too, Sillanpää primarily depicted rural Finland. His characters are farmers, domestic servants and farm labourers whose personal lives are closely connected with the landscape, the seasons and social change. His style combines precise observation of nature with psychological portrayal. In this way, he gave literary space to population groups that had previously been less prominent in Finnish high literature.
Sillanpää was the first Finnish writer to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature and remains Finland’s only laureate in this category to this day. The honour came in the year in which the Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union began. As a result, his international recognition acquired an additional national dimension in the Finnish public consciousness.
The choice of this subject for a coin therefore relates not only to a biographical anniversary. Sillanpää also represents the international recognition of Finnish literature, the depiction of rural society and the literary treatment of the early decades of independent Finland.
Interesting Facts
Set 2€CC PP with a thematically identical 10 € silver proof coin in the “Combo pack F.E. Sillanpää”, mintage: 1,000 copies, price: 90,20 €;