Maria Jotuni

Maria Gustaava Jotuni was a Finnish author and a playwright.

Life

Jotuni went to an all-girls school in Kuopio. She graduated in 1900 and planned to become a teacher. In 1900–1904 she studied history and literature at the University of Helsinki. Jotuni met her future husband, the literary critic Viljo Tarkiainen, in the university, and they got married in 1911. They had two sons: Jukka Tarkiainen and Tuttu Tarkiainen.
She is sometimes considered an early feminist, and according to Jukka's son Kari Tarkiainen, her posthumously published novel Huojuva talo was based on her marriage to his grandfather; it depicts the husband as nightmarishly abusive.
She started working as a journalist in a student magazine at the University of Helsinki. Maria Haggrén changed her surname to Jotuni in 1906. "Jotuni" means a giant in Scandinavian mythology. She died of heart disease in Helsinki.
In 1961 The [Golden Calf (1961 film)|The Golden Calf], a film based on her play of the same name was released.

Works

Plays:

Vanha koti
Miehen kylkiluu
Savu-uhri
Kultainen vasikka
Tohvelisankarin rouva
Olen syyllinen
Kurdin prinssi
Klaus, Louhikon herra

Novels:

Arkielämää
Huojuva talo
Äiti ja poika. Elämän hiljaisina hetkinä
Norsunluinen laulu
Jäähyväiset.

Short stories:

Suhteita
Rakkautta
Kun on tunteet
Martinin rikos
Jussi ja Lassi
Tyttö ruusutarhassa

Collection of other works:

Kootut teokset I–IV
Valitut teokset
Maria Jotunin aforismit
Novellit ja muuta proosaa I–II
Näytelmät
Kun on tunteet, Tyttö ruusutarhassa ynnä muita novelleja edited by Irmeli Niemi, SKS, 1999, 262 pages,