Jyrki Vainonen was born in 1963. He works as a translator and lecturer on literary art. He is renowned for his translations into Finnish of works by Seamus Heaney, Jonathan Swift, and William Shakespeare. His first book, Tutkimus-matkailija ja muita tarinoita, was awarded the Helsingin Sanomat Debut Title of the Year Award. His hobbies are bird-spotting and football.