Jörn Donner

Jörn Johan Donner (5 February 1933 Helsinki, Finland – 30 January 2020 Helsinki) was a Finnish writer, film director, actor, producer, politician and founder of Finnish Film Archive. He was also a publisher, editor, and a prominent literary and film critic. He produced Ingmar Bergman's film Fanny and Alexander, which won four Academy Awards in 1984. Donner also served in the Finnish parliament and the European Parliament, making significant contributions to both cinema and politics.

Biography Born into the Finland-Swedish Donner family of German descent, Jörn Donner was the youngest son of the linguist Kai Reinhold Donner and Margareta von Bonsdorff, and the grandson of linguist and politician Otto Donner. After graduating from the Svenska normallyceum in 1951, he earned a Master of Arts degree from the University of Helsinki in 1959.

Donner began his career in journalism and criticism in the 1950s. He was the publisher of the magazine Arena (1951–1954), an editor for Ny Tid (1952–1953), and worked as a literary or film critic for numerous publications, including Vapaa Sana (1952–1955), Päivän Sanomat (1957–1958), Nya Pressen (1951–1959), Bonniers Litterära Magasin (1959–1962), Ylioppilaslehti (1961–1963), Hufvudstadsbladet (1952–1962), and Sweden's Dagens Nyheter (1960–1965). He was also a columnist for Hufvudstadsbladet starting in 1980.

He lived and worked for long periods in Sweden, initially as a film director for Sandrews from 1963 to 1966, and later at the Swedish Film Institute, where he served as executive director (1972–1975), film producer (1975–1978), and managing director (1978–1982). He was also the managing director of his own company, Jörn Donner Productions, from 1966. In 1979, he was a member of the jury at the 29th Berlin International Film Festival. From 1981 to 1983, he was the chairman of the Finnish Film Foundation. Internationally Jörn Donner was best known as the producer of Ingmar Bergman's film Fanny and Alexander (, 1982). In 1984 the movie won a total of four Academy Awards including the award for best foreign language film, making him to date the only Finn to receive an Oscar. His novel (Father and Son) won the Finlandia Prize in 1985. His earlier literary work was recognized with the State Prize for Literature in 1972 and the Society of Swedish Literature in Finland Prize in 1972, 1975, and 1981.

In 1954 he married the Finnish writer Inga-Brit Wik; they had two children and divorced in 1962. Later Wik has described their marriage in her novels. Donner married in 1974 Jeanette Bonnier; they divorced in 1988. In 1995 Donner married the journalist Bitte Westerlund; they had two children. Donner has also two children from his previous relationships. He lived in 1960's eight years with Swedish actress Harriet Andersson and made five films with her. Andersson was also one of Ingmar Bergman's favourite actressess.

Donner was associated with several different political parties, such as SDP and RKP, and was at different times a member both of the Finnish parliament and the European Parliament. He was chairman of the leftist artists' association Kiila from 1957 to 1958 and served on the Helsinki City Council in 1969–1972 and again from 1984. he was again a member of the Finnish parliament for a short while, after Eva Biaudet resigned to take a position at the OSCE.

Donner suffered from prostate and lung cancers.Jörn Donner: "Syöpäkontrollit piinaavat" He died of lung disease at Meilahti hospital in Helsinki on 30 January 2020, six days before his 87th birthday. After his death, an archive of thousands of photographs was discovered at his home, showing that Donner was also a skilled photographer. In 2023, Donner's widow Bitte Westerlund, revealed that she had thrown part of his ashes in the compost after discovering his history of infidelity. Most of the ashes were scattered into the sea, in accordance with Donner's wishes.

Filmography

(A Sunday in September, 1963) (To Love, 1964) (Adventure Starts Here, 1965) (Rooftree, 1967) Stimulantia (1967) (Black on White, 1968) (1969) Anna (1970) (Portraits of Women, 1970) Perkele! Kuvia Suomesta (1971) (1972) (1973) Near and Far Away (1976) (1978) Men Can't Be Raped (1978) Bergman File, The (1978) (1982) Hockeyfeber (1983) Dirty Story (1984) / (1988) (1998) (2000) The Border (Raja 1918, 2007) Kuulustelu (2009) Armi elää! (2015)

Bibliography

1951 – . Söderström. 1952 – . Söderström. 1954 – . Söderström. 1955 – . Söderström. 1957 – . Söderström. 1958 – . Schildts. (Finnish: Berliini — arkea ja uhkaa, trans. Toivo J. Kivilahti, WSOY, 1958) 1960 – . Söderström. (Finnish: Terveenä sairaalassa, trans. Arvo Salo, Fennia, 1961) 1961 – . Söderström. (Finnish: Ihmisten Helsinki, trans. Seppo Virtanen, WSOY, 1961) 1962 – . Söderström. (Finnish: Paholaisen kasvot: Ingmar Bergmanin elokuvat, trans. Juha Virkkunen, Otava, 1967) 1962 – . Söderström. (Finnish: Raportti Tonavalta, trans. Seppo Virtanen, WSOY, 1963) 1967 – . Söderström. (Finnish: Uusi maammekirja, trans. Seppo Heikinheimo, Otava, 1967) 1968 – . Söderström. (Finnish: Maailmankirja, trans. Jukka Kemppinen, Otava, 1968) 1968 – 1970 – . Otava. 1971 – . Söderström. (Finnish: Surun ja rakkauden kesä, trans. Jukka Kemppinen, Otava, 1971) 1972 – . Söderström. (Finnish: Marina Maria, trans. Jukka Kemppinen, Otava, 1974) 1973 – . Wahlström & Widstrand. (Finnish: Matka vieraaseen maahan, trans. Jukka Kemppinen, Otava, 1974) 1974 – . Söderström. (Finnish: Nyt sinun täytyy, trans. Jukka Kemppinen, Otava, 1975) 1976 – . Wahlström & Widstrand. (Finnish: Angela, trans. Jukka Kemppinen, Otava, 1976) 1976 – . Söderström. 1978 – . Söderström. (Finnish: Jakob ja kylmä rauha, trans. Jukka Kemppinen, Otava, 1979) 1980 – . Söderström. 1980 – . WSOY. (trans. Jukka Kemppinen) 1981 – . Söderström. (Finnish: Angela ja rakkaus, trans. Marja Nieminen, Otava, 1981) 1982 – . Söderström. (Finnish: Itsenäisyyspäivä, trans. Seppo Heikinheimo, Otava, 1983) 1982 – . 1984 – . Wahlström & Widstrand. 1985 – . Söderström. 1985 – . . 1986 – . Söderström. 1986 – . Söderström. 1989 – . Söderström. 1990 – . Söderström. 1991 – Fazer 100. Söderström. 1992 – . Söderström. 1993 – . Söderström. 1993 – 1994 – . Söderström. 1998 – Söderström. 2001 – . Söderström. 2002 – . Söderström. 2004 – . Söderström. 2004 – . Söderström. 2005 – . Aamulehti. 2006 – . Söderström. 2006 – . Söderström. 2007 – . Schildts. 2009 – . Ekerlid. 2011 – . Söderström. 2013 – . Schildts & Söderströms. 2015 – . Schildts & Söderströms. 2015 – . Albert Bonniers Förlag. 2019 – . .

Edited works and translations Source: (1966) by Paavo Haavikko. Translated into Swedish by Donner. (1975) by Paavo Haavikko. Translated into Swedish by Donner. (1954) by Elmer Diktonius. Edited by Donner. (1956) by Elmer Diktonius. Edited by Donner. Kirjailija- ja taiteilijaryhmä Kiilan albumi VI (1954). Co-edited with Maija Savutie. Diktonius, En bok på 60-ärsdagen den 20 januari 1956 (1956). Co-edited with Stig Carlson and Artur Lundkvist.

Jörn Donner

Bron en licentie