Famous Finnish Writers

Vera Jordanova is a Bulgarian-Finnish model, actress, and cookbook author. She is best known for her portrayal of Axelle Rassimov in the 2007 American horror film Hostel: Part II. Vera Jordanova has also been featured on many popular magazines like Maxim, FHM, and Esquire.

Minna Canth was a Finnish social activist and writer best remembered for her plays, The Pastor's Family and The Worker's Wife. Among her plays, Anna-Liisa has been adapted into films and operas for the most number of times. Minna Canth, who was ahead of her time, addressed issues of women's rights in her work.

Mikael Agricola was a Finnish Lutheran clergyman. Referred to as the father of literary Finnish, Agricola is credited with founding literary Finnish. Mikael Agricola is also credited with translating the New Testament into Finnish and producing the hymns and prayer book used regularly in Finland's new Lutheran Church. 

Ilkka Villi is a Finnish writer and actor. He is best known for his work in the action-adventure video game, Alan Wake; he portrays the title role in the game. A versatile actor, Villi has portrayed a variety of roles in film, television, and theatre. He is also known for playing Niko Uusitalo in the crime drama television series, Bordertown.

Jenni Haukio is a Finnish poet best known as the wife of the popular politician and President Sauli Väinämö Niinistö. Haukio is currently the First Lady of Finland. In 1999, her first poetry collection won Runo-Kaarina, a national debut poet contest.

Johan Ludvig Runeberg was a Finnish priest and poet. He is credited with writing Vårt land, the unofficial national anthem of Finland, and is regarded as a national poet of the country. As a priest, Runeberg was involved in the modernization of Virsikirja and produced numerous texts for the new edition. Johan Ludvig Runeberg is an aconic figure in Finland. 

Mika Waltari was a Finnish writer best remembered for his novel, The Egyptian. A prolific writer, Waltari also wrote poetry, crime novels, short stories, plays, essays, film scripts, travel stories, and rhymed texts for Asmo Alho's comic strips. A recipient of five State Literature awards, Mika Waltari was honored with the prestigious Pro Finlandia Medal in 1952.

Mauno Manninen was a Finnish painter, poet, and theatre director. He is best remembered for founding Intimiteatteri, one of Helsinki's most important theatres from 1949 to 1987. Mauno Manninen is also known as the son of the famous poet Otto Manninen.  

Hannu Rajaniemi is a Finnish-American author who writes in both Finnish and English. He is best known for his science fiction books, such as The Quantum Thief, which was awarded the prestigious Tähtivaeltaja Award in 2012.  Hannu Rajaniemi also served as a founding director of a research organization called ThinkTank Maths.

Sofi Oksanen is a Finnish playwright and writer. She is best known for her novel, Purge. Oksanen's works have been translated into over 40 languages and sold over two million copies worldwide. Over the course of her career, Sofi Oksanen has been honored with several prestigious awards, such as the Finlandia Prize, Mika Waltari Award, and Kalevi Jäntti Award.

Frans Eemil Sillanpää was a Finnish writer best remembered for his 1931 novel, The Maid Silja. One of the most popular Finnish writers of all time, Frans Eemil Sillanpää became the first writer from Finland to be honored with the prestigious Nobel Prize for literature in 1939.

Jorn Donner was a Finnish writer, film producer, director, actor, and politician. He is best remembered for producing the 1982 period drama film Fanny and Alexander, which won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, making Jorn Donner the first and only Finn to date to receive an Oscar. He is also known for his novel Father and Son.

Arto Paasilinna was a Finnish writer and comic novelist. Counted among Finland's most successful novelists, Paasilinna's works have been translated into 27 languages and sold more than seven million copies worldwide. Arto Paasilinna is credited with contributing to the increased readership rate in Finland. His best known novel The Year of the Hare has been adapted twice into feature films.

Edith Södergran was a Finnish poet whose poetry has influenced numerous lyrical poets all over the world. Counted among the greatest Swedish-language poets of modernism, Södergran's work continues to influence Swedish-language musical lyrics and poetry. Edith Södergran did not live long enough to experience the appreciation of her poetry as she died at the age of 31 due to tuberculosis.

Hella Wuolijoki was a Finnish writer who wrote under the pen name of Juhani Tervapää. She is best remembered for her Niskavuori series. Some of her works, like the 1937 play Juurakon Hulda, were adapted into feature films; her play was adapted into a 1947 film titled The Farmer's Daughter.

Juhani Aho was a Finnish journalist and author who received 12 nominations for the prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature over the course of his illustrious career. Apart from writing novels, Juhani Aho also wrote numerous short stories. Aho is also credited with co-founding Päivälehti, the predecessor of Helsingin Sanomat.

Volter Kilpi was a Finnish author best remembered for his 1933 two-volume novel Alastalon salissa, which is often counted among the best written novels in the Finnish language. Volter Kilpi is widely regarded as one of the finest exponents of the modern experimental novels.

Uuno Kailas was a Finnish writer, poet, and translator. He is often counted among the most important Finnish poets of the 1930s. He published an impressive collection of poetry and translations before succumbing to schizophrenia and tuberculosis at the age of 31.

Eeva-Liisa Manner was a Finnish playwright, poet, and translator. Counted among the most influential and important modernists in post-war Finland, Manner's work has been translated into numerous European languages. She also translated many works of popular writers like William Shakespeare and Franz Kafka into Finnish.    

Tuomas Anhava was a Finnish writer and poet. Although he never achieved any significant success during his lifetime, Anhava is revered for the impact he has had on other Finnish poets. Apart from writing poems, Tuomas Anhava also worked as the editor-in-chief of Parnasso. 

Rabbe Enckell was a Finnish poet and writer. He is best remembered for playing a major role in the Swedo-Finnish poetic revival that started in the 1920s. A modernist, Rabbe Enckell also worked for the avant-garde publication, Quosego. 

Finnish-Swedish poet Frans Mikael Franzén, who had been the Bishop of the Diocese of Härnösand, was also one of the pioneers of the Romantic movement in Sweden. Initially a professor of philosophy, he later reformed Swedish poetry, inspired by the likes of Shakespeare and Milton.