17 Facts About Minna Canth

Minna Canth was the first major Finnish-language playwright and prose writer after Aleksis Kivi, the national author of Finland, and the first Finnish-language newspaper woman.

Minna Canth was the first woman to receive her own flag flying day in Finland, starting on 19 March 2007.

Minna Canth was born in Tampere to Gustaf Vilhelm Johnsson and his wife Ulrika.

Minna Canth's father worked at James Finlayson's textile factory initially as a worker and later as a foreman.

Gustaf and Ulrika had four children, Minna Canth included, of whom the eldest, Adolf, died in infancy.

Minna Canth received an exceptionally thorough education for a working-class woman of her time.

In 1865 she married her natural sciences teacher, Johan Ferdinand Minna Canth, and had to drop out of the Seminary.

Minna Canth began her writing career at the newspaper Keski-Suomi, where her husband worked as an editor.

Minna Canth published her first works of fiction on the pages of Paijanne: various short stories, which were compiled in her first book, Novelleja ja kertomuksia, in 1878.

Minna Canth died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 53 on May 12,1897 at her home in Kuopio.

Minna Canth was buried in a family grave in Kuopio Cemetery.

Minna Canth stood out when there was public debate about women's rights.

Minna Canth objected strongly to this argument as it meant that men could defend their poor morals by reference to their implicit shortcomings, whereas any women involved in prostitution would lack the same defence.

Minna Canth published a total of ten plays, seven short stories, as well as newspaper articles and speeches.

Minna Canth is taken to prison, but is much relieved after owning up and seems to have found peace.

Minna Canth is remembered in Finland through placenames, publications, medals, commemorative coins, stamps, paintings, plays, exhibitions and events.

Statues of Minna Canth have been erected in Kuopio, Tampere and Jyvaskyla; the statue in Kuopio was unveiled on 12 May 1937.