Markku J Parviainen
Markku J. Parviainen is a Finnish author living in Sweden. His writing grows from lived experience. He writes about love, longing, memory and the things that remain unspoken between people.Love Letters to HerPoetry about love, desire, loss and the things we never quite manage to say.Some love stories are lived. Others remain only in words. Love Letters to Her is a collection of intimate poems about being close to someone, missing them and remembering what time has not erased.“I wrote this book for my wife. Writing gave me somewhere to put the thoughts I rarely said aloud. These poems hold words I wanted her to hear.”
— Markku J. Parviainen
Finnish author and creator of The Nordic Thinker
I was born in Helsinki, Finland, in the 1960s and grew up in Jakomäki, a neighbourhood in the city. I spent my summers on my aunt’s farm in Sulkava. Meanwhile, my mother worked two jobs to support me and my younger brother.I have done many things. I was a national team athlete and a coach in taekwondo, and I hold a fifth-degree black belt. I have worked in several professions, travelled around the world, and lived in different countries for extended periods.Living abroad, particularly my five years in the United States, has changed how I see other cultures, perhaps making me more understanding. The wide gap between rich and poor is a serious problem. I believe it will affect society in the years ahead, perhaps even in destructive ways. These experiences and observations also find their way into my writing.Today, I live in Sweden with my family. To be honest, I would rather live in Finland, but we have decided as a family to stay in Sweden.My writing began with depression. It helped me see things from a different perspective and understand myself better: my weaknesses, my strengths, and the underlying reasons for them.I write about love, loneliness, failure, and freedom. About how life does not always turn out as we expected, and how we live with that.These days, I focus increasingly on writing and creating poetry, music, and videos.Markku J Parviainen
Listen to Markku J ParviainenPoetry, spoken word and reflections in my own voice. Some thoughts work better when they are heard rather than read.
Stay in touchSometimes I write something that does not belong on social media.A new poem. A thought. A book. A piece of spoken word.If you want to hear from me now and then, leave your email below.