Sylvi Kekkonen

Sylvi Kekkonen (née Uino; 12 March 1900 — 2 December 1974) was a Finnish writer and the longest-serving First Lady of Finland.^[1]

Sylvi Kekkonen
Sylvi Kekkonen in 1961
Born	Sylvia Salome Uino (1900-03-12)12 March 1900 Pieksämäki, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire
Died	2 December 1974(1974-12-02) (aged 74) Helsinki, Finland
Occupation	Writer
Known for	First Lady of Finland (1956 — her death)
Spouse	Urho Kekkonen ​ (m. 1926)​
Children	2 (twins): Matti, Taneli

Personal life and family

Sylvi Uino was born to a middle-class family, as the fourth child of a chaplain (later vicar), Kauno Uino, and Emilia Salome née Stenberg.^[2][3]

After her father's death, the family moved to Mikkeli, where she went to school. She later moved to Helsinki with the intention of studying law, but dropped out and took a job instead.^[3]

In 1926, she married Urho Kekkonen; they had met while working at a central law enforcement agency Etsivä keskuspoliisi (now the Finnish Security Intelligence Service).^[3] Two years later, the couple had twin sons, Matti and Taneli.^[2]

She was a small and fragile person physically, but known for her strength of character.^[4][5]

She died at Meilahti Tower Hospital on 2 December 1974.

First Lady of Finland

President and First Lady Kekkonen (1956)

Sylvi Kekkonen considered her main duty as the First Lady to support her husband, the President.^[1][5]

She was also active as a patron of various events and other initiatives,^[1] although in later life her health deteriorated and she was forced to cut down on her public appearances.^[5]

She is the longest-serving First Lady, with 18 years in the role, and is likely to remain so as the tenure of Presidents of Finland is now limited to a maximum of two consecutive six-year-terms.^[6]

Writing career

Kekkonen's main literary output comprises two novels, Käytävä (1955) and Amalia (1958); and two short story collections, Kotikaivolla (1952) and the autobiographical Lankkuaidan suojassa (1968) which is considered to be her best in literary terms.^[5][3] Of these, Amalia was translated into eight languages.^[7]

Her writing often deals with impressionist themes and juvenile perspectives.^[1]

She also wrote essays; her debut publication, Kiteitä (1949), was an essay collection.^[3]

She is also known to have edited and critiqued many of her husband's writings.^[7][5]

To commemorate her, an annual literary symposium, Sylvi Symposiumi, has been held since 2000 in Pieksämäki,^[3] where there is also a park named after her.^[8]