Helen Arvonen
Helen Margaret Arvonen (1918 – May 9, 1992) was a Canadian writer of Gothic literature and science fiction.
Early life and family
[edit]Helen Arvonen was born Helen Dickinson in Thessalon, Canada, in 1918.[1][2][3] During her childhood, her parents worked in railroad camps across northern Ontario as a camp cook and a seamstress, and she would travel to accompany them.[1][4] It was during this period, at age 9, that she began writing, at her father's encouragement.[2][4]
She eventually established herself in the city of Sault Ste. Marie.[1] She married Sulo Arvonen, then, after being widowed, remarried Robert Conway, who also predeceased her.[2][3][4] She had four children: Theone, Neil, Shiels, and Devon (who died at a young age).[2][3][4][5]
Writing
[edit]Helen Arvonen was known as an author of Gothic fiction and science fiction.[1] While her writing ventured into the fantastical, it would also often refer to real settings in northern Ontario, particularly around Sault Ste. Marie.[2][4] Early in her career, she sometimes published under a pseudonym, Lix Acrobee.[2][4][5]
In the 1940s, her writing was published frequently in magazines like Fantasy and Crime.[1][4] Then, in the late 1950s, she wrote radio and TV scripts for CJIC.[1][4]
Arvonen published 15 novels, including The Summer of Evil (1965), Remember with Tears (1968), The Witches of Brimstone Hill (1971), and a novelization of The Two Mrs. Carrolls.[1][4][5] Some of her books were also published in Europe, both in English and in translation.[1][4]
Death and legacy
[edit]Arvonen died in 1992, at age 74, in Sault Ste. Marie.[1][2][3][4]
Her papers are held in the collections of the University of Oregon Libraries.[1][4] In 2015, she was posthumously inducted into the Sault Ste. Marie Walk of Fame.[4][5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Helen Arvonen papers". University of Oregon. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
- ^ a b c d e f g Case, Cherie (1992-05-13). "Author's books often dealt with Algoma". The Sault Star. pp. B3.
- ^ a b c d "Deaths". The Sault Star. 1992-05-11. pp. A2.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Brown, Lynne (2016-01-30). "Walk of Fame just got a little bigger". Sault Online. Archived from the original on 2016-02-24.
- ^ a b c d Klassen, Jeff (2016-01-29). "Murder mystery writer's daughter recalls taking part in mother's 'research'". SooToday. Retrieved 2025-04-04.