Sofi-Elina Oksanen (born 7 January 1977) is a Finnish

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, ...

and

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

. Oksanen has published six novels, of which "

Purge In history, religion and political science, a purge is a position removal or execution of people who are considered undesirable by those in power from a government, another organization, their team leaders, or society as a whole. A group undertak ...

" has gained the widest recognition. She has received several international and domestic awards for her literary work. Her work has been translated into more than 40 languages and sold more than two million copies. Oksanen has been called "Finnish-Estonian

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian er ...

" and her work has often been compared to

Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of non-fiction, ...

's novels. Oksanen is actively involved in public debate in Finland and comments on current issues in her columns and various talk shows.

Early years and education

Sofi-Elina Oksanen was born in

Jyväskylä Jyväskylä () is a city and municipality in Finland in the western part of the Finnish Lakeland. It is located about 150 km north-east from Tampere, the third largest city in Finland; and about 270 km north from Helsinki, the capital of ...

in central Finland, where she grew up in the Halssila district. Her father is a Finnish electrician. Her mother is an

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also * ...

engineer who grew up in

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, an ...

during the

Soviet occupation During World War II, the Soviet Union occupied and annexed several countries effectively handed over by Nazi Germany in the secret Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 1939. These included the eastern regions of Poland (incorporated into two different ...

and upon the marriage was able to move to Finland in the 1970s. Oksanen studied literature at the

University of Jyväskylä The University of Jyväskylä ( fi, Jyväskylän yliopisto) is a research university in Jyväskylä, Finland. It has its origins in the first Finnish-speaking Teacher Training College (the so-called Teacher Seminary), founded in 1863. Ar ...

and

University of Helsinki The University of Helsinki ( fi, Helsingin yliopisto, sv, Helsingfors universitet, abbreviated UH) is a public research university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but founded in the city of Turku (in Swedish ''Åbo'') in 1640 as the R ...

and later drama at the Finnish Theatre Academy in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

Career

Oksanen's first play "Purge" (''Puhdistus'') was staged at the Finnish National Theatre in 2007. From out of the play grew Oksanen's third novel "

" (2008). It ranked number 1 on the bestseller list for fiction in Finland when it was published and has received numerous awards, both in Finland and abroad. The play "Purge'" had its American première at

La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club (La MaMa E.T.C.) is an Off-Off-Broadway theatre founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, African-American theatre director, producer, and fashion designer. Located in Manhattan's East Village, the theatre began in the ...

, in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, on 10 February 2011. The text was translated by Eva Buchwald and the production directed by Zishan Ugurlu. From October 2011, the play was produced in 15 countries, with productions in Norway, France, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Iceland, Lithuania, Germany, Ukraine, and Hungary. It premiered in London at the

Arcola Theatre Arcola Theatre is an Off West End theatre in the London Borough of Hackney. It presents plays, operas and musicals featuring established and emerging artists. The theatre building, in the former Colourworks paint factory on Ashwin Street, Dals ...

from 22 February to 24 March with a new production directed by Elgiva Field. In Canada it premiered in 2021. The novel has been adapted into a film – see "Purge" (2012) – directed by Antti Jokinen, selected as the Finnish entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the

85th Academy Awards The 85th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2012 and took place on February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p. ...

. "Purge" was adapted into an opera, composed by

Jüri Reinvere Jüri Reinvere (born December 2, 1971 in Tallinn) is an Estonian composer, poet and essayist who has been living in Germany since 2005. His compositions often consist of original poetry set to music and are based on cosmopolitan life experienc ...

, and it premiered at Finnish National Opera in 2012. Her novel "Baby Jane" has also been adapted into an opera "Baby Jane". The composer is Markus Kärki.

Helsingin Sanomat ''Helsingin Sanomat'', abbreviated ''HS'' and colloquially known as , is the largest subscription newspaper in Finland and the Nordic countries, owned by Sanoma. Except after certain holidays, it is published daily. Its name derives from that o ...

called it an opera event of the season. In 2012, Oksanen published a map of Soviet

Gulag The Gulag, an acronym for , , "chief administration of the camps". The original name given to the system of camps controlled by the State Political Directorate, GPU was the Main Administration of Corrective Labor Camps (, )., name=, group= ...

prison camps, drawn by Niilo Koljonen, in the National Audiovisual Archive. Her fourth novel "When the Doves Disappeared" (''Kun kyyhkyset katosivat'') was published on 31 August 2012 and it was the most sold Finnish novel of the year. The title refers to German soldiers catching and eating all the pigeons in

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...

during the Nazi German occupation of Estonia during World War II. The book was translated into English by Lola Rogers: "When the Doves Disappeared: A novel". (Knopf, 2015. .) Oksanen wrote a

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major li ...

for

Kaija Saariaho Kaija Anneli Saariaho (; ; born 14 October 1952) is a Finnish composer based in Paris, France. During the course of her career, Saariaho has received commissions from the Lincoln Center for the Kronos Quartet and from IRCAM for the Ensemble Inte ...

´s opera "Innocence." The world premiere was scheduled for 2020 at the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal ...

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

, in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The opera had its world premiere on July 3, 2021 at the

Grand Théâtre de Provence The Grand Théâtre de Provence (GTP) is a venue located in the new Aix-en-Provence in district "Sextius Mirabeau". A symbol of the Aix region was used for the design of the volumes of this room: the Montagne Sainte-Victoire, recalled in particul ...

as part of the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence. The opera was called a "triumph" and a "masterpiece" in the press, and its international reception was overwhelmingly positive.

Le Monde ''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...

said it already has a place in the history of opera. Oksanen's libretto was described masterly, innovative, palpitating and thrilling. Les Echos reviewed the libretto perfect for stage and said: "From the libretto to the staging, everything promises this dark and strong work a great future in the biggest international theaters." The magazine "Transfuge" praised Oksanen's libretto for it remarkable format and chilling efficiency: "Each character has its

identity Identity may refer to: * Identity document * Identity (philosophy) * Identity (social science) * Identity (mathematics) Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Identity'' (1987 film), an Iranian film * ''Identity'' (2003 film), an ...

, its language, its drama, its specter." After the world premiere the opera will travel to Finland's National Opera, Dutch National Opera, Royal Opera House (Covent Garden) and San Francisco Opera House. Oksanen has also written numerous articles published in international newspapers. The topics are often related to

freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countri ...

, Russian politics, information war, immigration and Finlandization. In 2014,

Die Welt ''Die Welt'' ("The World") is a German national daily newspaper, published as a broadsheet by Axel Springer SE. ''Die Welt'' is the flagship newspaper of the Axel Springer publishing group. Its leading competitors are the '' Frankfurter ...

published her article about information war from the point of view of former

Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed du ...

countries. Her novel, "Norma", translated by Owen F. Witesman, was published in English by Knopf in the US, Atlantic in the UK and House of Anansi in Canada. Oksanen's novel "The Dog Park" came out in English in 2021 published by Knopf in the US, Atlantic in the UK and House of Anansi in Canada. The translator was Owen F. Witesman. Two of her novels have been adapted into movies, "Purge" and "Baby Jane". The movie rights for "When the Doves Disappeared" and "

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...

's Cows" have been acquired.

Personal life

Sofi Oksanen and her husband, Juha Korhonen, were married in 2011 in Helsinki.

Works

;Novels * Stalin's Cows (original title ''Stalinin lehmät'', published in Finnish 2003) * Baby Jane (original title ''Baby Jane'', published in Finnish 2005) * Purge (original title ''Puhdistus'', published in Finnish 2007) * When the Doves Disappeared (original title ''Kun Kyyhkyset katosivat'', published in Finnish 2012) * Norma (original title ''Norma'', published in Finnish 2015) * The Dog Park (original title Koirapuisto, published in Finnish 2019) ;Plays * The Blue-cheeked girls (original title ''Siniposkiset tytöt'', 2005) *

(original title ''Puhdistus'', the world premiere at the Finnish National Theatre, 2007) * When the Doves Disappeared (original title ''Kun kyyhkyset katosivat'', the world premiere at the Finnish National Theatre, 2013) * I love you already (original title ''Rakastan sinua jo nyt'', 2017) ;Lyrics/Poems * Too short skirt – tales from the kitchen (original title ''Liian lyhyt hame - kertomuksia keittiöstä'', 2011) ;Libretto * Innocence – opera by Kaija Saariaho, world premiere 2021 at the festival Aix-en-Provence ;Essays in English: * A Lion in a Cage, Eurozine, 19.5.2015 * What's it like to write about Russia, 14.6.2016, UpNorth * Your silence will not protect you, 28.2.2018, UpNorth * My family knew all about iron curtain: it's vital to protect our right to speak out, The Guardian, 30.5.2018 * A Soviet shadow looms over the Putin-Trump summit in Helsinki, The Guardian, 11.7.2018 * Social media can work as life insurance for Navalny, Found Me, 5.2.2021

Awards

Finlandia Prize The Finlandia Prize ( fi, Finlandia-palkinto; sv, Finlandiaprisen) is a set of Finnish literary prizes awarded by the Finnish Book Foundation to "celebrate reading and highlight new Finnish first-rate literature." Considered the most prestigious ...

, Finland, 2008 * The Kristiina of the year, Kristiina-institute, Finland, 2008 * The Mika Waltari Award, Finland, 2008 * The Great Finnish Book Club Prize, Finland, 2008 * The SSKK Recognition Award, Finland, 2008 * The Kalevi Jäntti Award, Finland, 2008 *

Runeberg Prize The Runeberg prize (Finnish: ''Runeberg-palkinto'', Swedish: ''Runebergspriset'') is a Finnish literature prize founded in 1987. The prize is named in honour of Finnish national poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg (1804–1877) and is awarded annually on ...

, Finland, 2009 * The Person of the Year,

Postimees ''Postimees'' () is an Estonian daily newspaper established on 5 June 1857, by Johann Voldemar Jannsen. In 1891, it became the first daily newspaper in Estonia. Its current editor-in-chief is Priit Hõbemägi. The paper has approximately 250 ...

, Estonia, 2009 *

The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana ( et, Maarjamaa Risti teenetemärk, sometimes translated as the Order of the Cross of St. Mary's Land) was instituted by the President of Estonia, Lennart Meri, on 16 May 1995 to honour the independence of t ...

, Estonia, 2010 *

Nordic Council Literature Prize The Nordic Council Literature Prize is awarded for a work of literature written in one of the languages of the Nordic countries, that meets "high literary and artistic standards". Established in 1962, the prize is awarded every year, and is worth ...

(2010) for '' Puhdistus'' * The Prix Femina Ètranger, France, 2010 * The Prix du Roman FNAC, France, 2010 * The European Book Prize, EU, 2010 * The French Booksellers Prize, France, 2012 * The Order of the Lion of Finland, the Pro Finlandia, Finland, 2012 * The Budapest Grand Prize, Hungary, 2013 * The Swedish Academy Nordic Prize, Sweden, 2013 * Wolmar Schildt Award, Finland, 2015 * Premio Salerno Libro d'Europa, Italy, 2015 * Chevalier Medal of Honour by Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France, 2018 ;Nominations * The Helsingin Sanomat Prize for the best debutant novel, Finland, 2003 * Runeberg Prize, Finland, 2004 * Prix Médicis, France, 2010 * The Dublin International Literary Award (IMPAC), Ireland, 2012 * The Dublin International Literary Award (IMPAC), Ireland, 2017 * The Ambassador of Finnish Culture (The Culture Gala of the Century), Finland, 2017 * The New Academy Prize in Literature, Sweden, 2018 * Fedora Opera Prize, 2021

References

External links

Official site
*
Kun kyyhkyset katosivat, When the Doves Disappeared

What Westerners weren't supposed to see
* 29. May 2012
Sofi Oksanen's New Book to Break Printing Record
http://news.err.ee ** 30. August 2012
Sofi Oksanen: Tiet keskitysleireille on kivetty hyvillä aikomuksilla
** 31. August 2012
Puhdistuksen ensi-ilta keräsi tähdet punaiselle matolle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oksanen, Sofi 1977 births Living people People from Jyväskylä Finnish people of Estonian descent Finnish dramatists and playwrights Finnish women novelists Writers from Central Finland 21st-century Finnish novelists Finnish women dramatists and playwrights Finlandia Prize winners Nordic Council Literature Prize winners Prix Femina Étranger winners 21st-century Finnish women writers Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 4th Class Women librettists