Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila is a Finnish

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 academic researcher, serving as a professor of the Arabic language

Arabic language

Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...

 and Islamic studies

Islamic studies

In a Muslim context, Islamic studies can be an umbrella term for all virtually all of academia, both originally researched and as defined by the Islamization of knowledge...

 at the University of Helsinki

University of Helsinki

The University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...

. He is one of the leading researchers of Islam in Finland. He has written many popular books on Islamic culture, history and poetry. Hämeen-Anttila also translated the Qur'an

Qur'an

The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...

 into Finnish in the year 1995 and the epic of Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh was the fifth king of Uruk, modern day Iraq , placing his reign ca. 2500 BC. According to the Sumerian king list he reigned for 126 years. In the Tummal Inscription, Gilgamesh, and his son Urlugal, rebuilt the sanctuary of the goddess Ninlil, in Tummal, a sacred quarter in her city of...

 in the year 2000. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Arabic and Islamic Studies

Journal of Arabic and Islamic Studies

The Journal of Arabic and Islamic Studies, often abbreviated to JAIS, is an international, peer-reviewed academic journal. It was founded in 1995 by Joseph N. Bell from the University of Bergen, Norway and Petr Zemánek from Charles University in Prague. The current editor is Alex Metcalfe of...

. Hämeen-Anttila is married to the academic researcher Virpi Hämeen-Anttila.

Awards

• In year 2002 Hämeen-Anttila and his wife Virpi Hämeen-Anttila were awarded the Eino Leino prize for their efforts to promote a multi-cultural concept of literature. The prize was given out for the 47th time.
• In year 2005 his book Islamin käsikirja (The Handbook of Islam) won the Valtion tiedonjulkistamispalkinto (the State Award for Public Information) in Finland.

Books in English

• Materials for the Study of Ragaz Poetry. Finnish Oriental Society (1996) ISBN 9519380280
• A Sketch of Neo-Assyrian Grammar. State Archives of Assyrian Studies - SAAS 13, 2000.
• Maqama: A History of a Genre. Harrassowitz (2002) ISBN 9783447045919
• The Last Pagans of Iraq: Ibn Wahshiyya And His Nabatean Agriculture (2006) ISBN 9004150102

Books in Finnish

• Johdatus Koraaniin. Gaudeamus 1997, reformed edition 2006. ISBN 951-662-924-5
• Koraanin selitysteos. Basam Books 1997.
• Reunamerkintöjä. Esseitä ja käännöksiä Lähi-idän kirjallisuudesta. Suomen Itämaisen Seuran suomenkielisiä julkaisuja 25, 1997.
• Jeesus, Allahin profeetta. Tutkimus islamilaisen Jeesus-kuvan muotoutumisesta. Suomen Eksegeettisen Seuran Julkaisuja 70, 1998.
  • [Revision:] Jeesus, islamin profeetta. Kirjapaja 2006. ISBN 951-607-330-1
• Islamin monimuotoisuus. Gaudeamus 1999.
• Islam-taskusanakirja. Basam Books 2001.
• Kaksi filosofia. Avicennan ja al-Ghazālīn omaelämäkerrat. Basam Books 2001. (ed. Hämeen-Anttila, trans. with T. Kukkonen)
• Tiedon valtameri. Islamilaista viisautta. Basam Books 2001.
• Uskontojen risteyksissä. Välimeren alueen uskontojen juurilla. Toim. Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila. Gaudeamus 2001.
• Jumalasta juopuneet. Islamin mystiikan käsikirja. Basam Books 2002.
• Todellisuuden maailmat. Runoja ja proosaa islamin mystikoilta. Basam Books 2002.
• Islamin käsikirja. Otava 2004.
• Tarina hullusta rakastajasta ja muita runoja. Gummerus 2005. (poetry collection)
• Rakkauden atlas. Otava 2005. (with Virpi Hämeen-Anttila)
• Usko. Kirjapaja 2005.
• Mare Nostrum. Länsimaisen kulttuurin juurilla. Otava 2006.
• Kirkkauteen kätketty. Al-Ghazālīn Valojen lamppusyvennys. Kirjapaja 2007. (with Inka Maukola and Mikko Viitamäki)
• Matkalla Marakandaan. Gummerus 2007. (poetry collection)
• Tarujen kirja. Kansojen kertomuksia läheltä ja kaukaa. Otava 2007. (with Virpi Hämeen-Anttila)

Translations in Finnish

• Sa'dī, Ruusutarha. Otava 1991.
• Koraani. Basam Books 1995.
• Mawlānā Jalalāddīn Rūmī, Ruokopillin tarinoita. Basam Books 1995.
• Valkoisen kaupungin viisas mulla. Kertomuksia mulla Nasraddinista. Basam Books 1996.
  • [Revision:] Viisas narri. Kertomuksia mulla Nasraddinista. Basam Books 2007.
• Badī'azzaman al-Hamadhāni, Mestari Abulfathin elämä ja teot. Veijaritarinoita kalifien ajalta. Basam Books 1997.
• Viisauden eliksiiri. Antiikin kreikkalaista viisautta arabialaisista lähteistä. Basam Books 1997.
• Omār Khayyām, Malja mennyt maine. Basam Books 1999.
• Ibn Isḥāq, Profeetta Muhammadin elämäkerta. Toim. Ibn Hišām. Basam Books 1999.
• Runoja Andalusiasta. Basam Books 1999. (with Minna Tuovinen)
• Vain ääni jää. Kolme persialaista runoilijaa. WSOY 1999.
  • [Revision:] Vain ääni jää. Runoja Iranista. WSOY 2006.
• Gilgamesh. Kertomus ikuisen elämän etsimisestä. Basam Books 2000.
• Kuka murhasi kyttyräselän? Tarinoita Tuhannesta ja yhdestä yöstä. Basam Books 2001.
• Mawlānā Jalalāddīn Rūmī, Rakkaus on musta leijona. Basam Books 2002.
• Farīdaddīn 'Attār, Lintujen matka. Basam Books 2003.
• Hanan al-Šaikh, Kaukana Lontoossa. Gummerus 2003.
• Hāfez, Ruusu ja satakieli. Basam Books 2004.
• Abū Nuwās, Runoja kaduilta ja kapakoista. Basam Books 2004.
• Abul-Alā' al-Ma'arrī, Runoja elämän tarpeettomuudesta. Basam Books 2006.
• Adonis, Tomun taikuri. Otava 2007.

External links

Interviews and feature articles

• Poetry is the door to tolerance, say translators of Arabic and Sanskrit verse, Helsingin Sanomat
  Helsingin Sanomat
  Helsingin Sanomat is the largest subscription newspaper in Finland and the Nordic countries, owned by Sanoma. Except after certain holidays, it is published daily. In 2008, its daily circulation was 412,421 on weekdays and 468,505 on Sundays...
  
  , February 26, 2002