author
Elvira Willman
1875–1925
A Finnish playwright and journalist, she brought class struggle and social change into her writing at a time when those subjects were still unusual in Finnish literature. Her life moved from literary circles into radical politics, giving her work an unusual sense of urgency.
3 Audiobooks
Vallankumouksen vyöryssä: Novelli
by Elvira Willman
Kellarikerroksessa: Viisinäytöksinen näytelmä
by Elvira Willman
Lyyli: Viisinäytöksinen näytelmä
by Elvira Willman
About the author
Born in Uusikaupunki in 1875, Elvira Willman studied languages and literature in Helsinki and at the Sorbonne in Paris. She became known as a playwright and journalist, and is often described as an early Finnish woman writer to focus on working-class life and social inequality.
Willman wrote during a tense period in Finnish history, and her work reflected the political pressures of her time. Alongside her literary career, she was active in the labour movement and became a prominent figure among the women of the early Finnish socialist movement.
After the Finnish Civil War, her life became increasingly tied to revolutionary politics in Soviet Russia. She died in Moscow in 1925, leaving behind a body of work and a public life that linked literature, journalism, and political conviction.