Tapaus Kejonen

esimerkki 1960- ja 1970-luvun tunnustuskirjallisuuden ja julkisuuden suhteesta

• Anna Hollsten Helsingin yliopisto

DOI: https://doi.org/10.30665/av.74859

Abstract

The Case of Kejonen: An Example of the Relation between Confessional Literature and the Public Sphere in the 1960s and 1970s

This article examines Pekka Kejonen’s (born 1941) literary works from the 1960s and 1970s in the context of the public sphere and the media culture. The Finnish public sphere and media culture underwent major changes during these two decades, as the breakthrough of television gave rise to intimate person journalism. In addition, a new kind of popular magazines, such as Hymy, notorious for its sensational journalism, had a great impact on the development of the celebrity institution. Kejonen was one of the most famous Finnish literary celebrities in the ‘60s and ‘70s and the popular magazines closely followed his bohemian lifestyle. This article analyses his autobiographical works starting from the poem “Hajamietteitä matkalta Tampereelle” (1979, Scattered thoughts from a journey to the city of Tampere) and examines the interaction between his literary works and his public image. The article asks what concepts should be used to describe the relationship between a writer’s literary works and his/her public image. As an answer the article proposes the concept of performative biografism introduced by Jon Helt Haarder. Haarder uses the concept first and foremost to describe the (auto)biographical literature of the 1990s and the early 21st century. However, the article argues that the concept can be adapted to describe the connections between the confessional literature of the 1960s and 1970s and the media culture and public sphere as well.