Herkkä, hellä, hehkuvainen by Minna Maijala

Pohjolan leijona, Kustaa II Adolf ja Suomi 1611–1632 (‘The lion of the North. The works on the list of six are as follows: The shortlist for the Finlandia Prize for Non-Fiction 2014 – worth €30,000 – was announced on 5 November by the chairperson of the jury, Susanna Pettersson, Director of the Ateneum Art Museum. (Read her short story, ‘The nursemaid’, here.) More… In the twenty-first century Canth’s plays are still receiving new interpretations, and they have also been made into operas and musicals. Her influence on the role of women in society and, in particular, her promotion of girls’ education, is the cornerstone of Finland’s social equality. Having begun her literary career in the late nineteenth century, she still continues to be Finland’s most significant female writer. Minna Canth (1844–1897) is now celebrating her 170th anniversary, and she is fortunate in both respects. Another unbeatable way to keep them alive as a subject of discussion is an updated biography, through which the author is seen with new eyes. The first is to give a high profile to new interpretations of them, either in the form of scholarly lectures or of artistic re-workings, such as dramatisations, librettos or film scripts. There are two sure methods of preserving the freshness of the works of a classical author in a reading culture that is increasingly losing its vigour.

Original photo: Viktor Barsokevich / Kuopio Museum of Cultural History Herkkä, hellä, hehkuvainen – Minna Canth Canth also flies on the tail of one of the aircrafts of the Nordic airline Norwegian: the fleet carries portraits of ‘heroes’ and ‘heroines’ of four Nordic countries (the other Finn is the 19th-century poet J.L. The Finnish flag is flown on her birthday: 19 March has been named the Day of Equality.

Herkkä, hellä, hehkuvainen by Minna Maijala