Riku Korhonen
Milla Paloniemi
Kreetta Onkeli
Juha Kulmala
Juhani Brander
Ville Hytönen
Antti Nylén
Kirsti Ellilä
Marjo Isopahkala
M. G. Soikkeli
Petri Salin
Timo Hännikäinen
Timo Harju
Reetta Niemelä
Ropponen & Deviatkina
Esa Hirvonen
Kari Hukkila
Antti Jaatinen
Roope Lipasti
Heikki Nevala
Tommi Parkko
Marisha Rasi-Koskinen
Iida Rauma
Timo Harju
Timo Harju was born in 1980 and lives in Turku. He teaches creative writing at the Kratti creative writing school and at the Puolukkatie children’s home, as well as poetry at the Turku Adult Education Centre. He also writes poetry criticism for several literary journals and newspapers. This is his debut collection.
Timo Harju: We Watered Them Abundantly with Coffee
Social poetry that applies to everyone, that is suitable for a wide reading audience, is rare, but Harju’s poems fill this void.
– Spurs of Criticism committee
Harju’s poems are sure to move the feelings of anyone who has spent time in an nursing home.
– Virpi Alanen, Kiiltomato.net literary review
Timo Harju’s collection is not only excellent because of its wisdom, its emotional intelligence—it also has robust poetic qualities. Especially praiseworthy is the poet’s use of internal rhymes and creation of neologisms that produce both a moving and cheerful tone.
– Leena Tanskanen, Keskipohjanmaa newspaper
Poetry full of human life and physicality.
– Siru Kainulainen, Turun Sanomat
We Watered Them Abundantly with Coffee is a themed collection set in a nursing home, which was inspired by the author’s civil service in such a facility. The collection is a timely commentary on elder care and everyday life in institutions, but is also touching lyrically. It is written about and for the people of the nursing home, for their sake. The reality is shown to be more wretched than the glib popular notions, yet still joyful. Dementia progresses to insanity and cruelty, but the tender language takes care of the individual. Elderly people are utterly marvelous!
Timo Harju’s collection of poems received the Finnish Critics’ Association’s Spurs of Criticism prize in 2010. This prize is awarded each year for the best artistic breakthrough in Finland.
Original name: Kastelimme heitä runsaasti kahvilla
Publisher: ntamo 2009
89 pages
Softcover 190 x 190 mm
ISBN 978-952-215-074-5
Layout and cover design: Make Copies
Cover picture: Tomasz Zaczeniuk, http://strony.toya.net.pl/~pantomek/folio/
Burning Bridge Literary Agency 2009—2013
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