Anni Swan
Encyclopedia
Anni Emilia Swan was a Finnish
writer
. Swan wrote many books for children and young adults, was a journalist
for children's magazines and worked as a translator
. She is considered the creator of Finnish literature for girls.
of Lappeenranta
. Anni Swan's mother Emilia Malin was a literature enthusiast and taught all of her nine daughters to read fairy tales and narratives at an early age.
The family lived in Lappeenranta from 1884 until the turn of the century. Swan went to an all-girl's school in Mikkeli
and graduated in 1895 from Helsingin Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu
. She became an elementary school
teacher in Jyväskylä
in 1900 and worked in Helsinki from 1901to 1916. In 1907, she married writer Otto Manninen
.
Swan's first collection of fairy tales, simply called Satuja ("Fairy Tales"), was published in 1901. Her first book for young adults, which was partly based on her father's recollections, was Tottisalmen perillinen ("The Heir of Tottisalmi"), published in 1917. This book is about an orphan farm-hand, Yrjö, who turns out to be, in reality, an heir to a large fortune. Her other well-known books are Iris rukka ("Poor Iris"), Ollin oppivuodet ("Olli's Apprentenceship") and Sara ja Sarri ("Sara and Sarri"). The courageous and resourceful main characters in Swan's young-adult fiction had been a role-model for many heroes and heroines in later young-adult fiction.
Swan was a journalist for the children's magazines Pääskynen (1907–1918) and Nuorten toveri/Sirkka (1919–1945). She furthermore translated, among others, Brothers Grimm
and the tales of Br'er Rabbit
and Br'er Fox as well as the first Finnish translation of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
.
There has also been an award for young-adult fiction named after her called the Anni Swan -mitali.
Young adults:
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...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
. Swan wrote many books for children and young adults, was a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
for children's magazines and worked as a translator
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
. She is considered the creator of Finnish literature for girls.
Overview
Swan's father was Carl Gustaf Swan, a well-known figure of culture of his time, who founded the first newspaperNewspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
of Lappeenranta
Lappeenranta
Lappeenranta is a city and municipality that resides on the shore of the lake Saimaa in South-Eastern Finland, about from the Russian border. It belongs to the region of South Karelia. With approximately inhabitants Lappeenranta is the largest city in Finland...
. Anni Swan's mother Emilia Malin was a literature enthusiast and taught all of her nine daughters to read fairy tales and narratives at an early age.
The family lived in Lappeenranta from 1884 until the turn of the century. Swan went to an all-girl's school in Mikkeli
Mikkeli
Mikkeli is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in what used to be the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Southern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water...
and graduated in 1895 from Helsingin Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu
Helsingin Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu
Helsingin Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu, commonly abbreviated SYK, is a free Finnish private school located in the district of Etelä-Haaga in the city of Helsinki. SYK is the oldest Finnish-speaking school in Finland and considered to be one of the most prestigious.-History:SYK was founded in 1886...
. She became an elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
teacher in Jyväskylä
Jyväskylä
Jyväskylä is the capital of Central Finland and the largest city on the Finnish Lakeland, north-east of Tampere and north of Helsinki, on northern coast of lake Päijänne. The city has been continuously one of the most rapidly growing cities in Finland since World War II. The city is surrounded...
in 1900 and worked in Helsinki from 1901to 1916. In 1907, she married writer Otto Manninen
Otto Manninen
Otto Manninen was a Finnish writer, poet, and a celebrated translator of world classics into Finnish language. Along with Eino Leino in the early 20th century, he is considered as a pioneer of Finnish poetry...
.
Swan's first collection of fairy tales, simply called Satuja ("Fairy Tales"), was published in 1901. Her first book for young adults, which was partly based on her father's recollections, was Tottisalmen perillinen ("The Heir of Tottisalmi"), published in 1917. This book is about an orphan farm-hand, Yrjö, who turns out to be, in reality, an heir to a large fortune. Her other well-known books are Iris rukka ("Poor Iris"), Ollin oppivuodet ("Olli's Apprentenceship") and Sara ja Sarri ("Sara and Sarri"). The courageous and resourceful main characters in Swan's young-adult fiction had been a role-model for many heroes and heroines in later young-adult fiction.
Swan was a journalist for the children's magazines Pääskynen (1907–1918) and Nuorten toveri/Sirkka (1919–1945). She furthermore translated, among others, Brothers Grimm
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
and the tales of Br'er Rabbit
Br'er Rabbit
Br'er Rabbit is a central figure in the Uncle Remus stories of the Southern United States. He is a trickster character who succeeds by his wits rather than by brawn, tweaking authority figures and bending social mores as he sees fit...
and Br'er Fox as well as the first Finnish translation of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is an 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It tells of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures...
.
There has also been an award for young-adult fiction named after her called the Anni Swan -mitali.
Books
Children:- Satuja I–III (1901–1905).
- Pieniä satuja I–V (1906).
- Lasten-näytelmiä (1910).
- Tarinoita lapsille (1912).
- Satuja ja tarinoita (1917).
- Satuja (1920).
- Satuja VI (1923).
- Lastennäytelmiä II (1923).
- Kotavuoren satuja ja tarinoita (1957).
Young adults:
- Tottisalmen perillinen (1914).
- Iiris rukka (1916).
- Kaarinan kesäloma (1918).
- Ollin oppivuodet (1919).
- Pikkupappilassa (1922).
- Ulla ja Mark (1924).
- Sara ja Sarri (1927).
- Sara ja Sarri matkustavat (1930).
- Me kolme ja Ritvan suojatit (1937).
- Pauli on koditon (1946).
- Arnellin perhe (1949).