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

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

and

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

. 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, their team leaders, or society as a whole. A group undertaking such an ...

" 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 novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

" and her work has often been compared to

Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian novelist, poet, literary critic, and an inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of nonfiction, nine collections of short fiction, eight chi ...

'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 in Finland and the regional capital of Central Finland. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Jyväskylä is approximately , while the Jyväskylä sub-region, sub-region has a population of approximately ...

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, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

during the Soviet occupation and through marriage was able to move to Finland in the 1970s. Oksanen studied literature at the

University of Jyväskylä A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". U ...

and

University of Helsinki The University of Helsinki (, ; UH) is a public university in Helsinki, Finland. The university was founded in Turku in 1640 as the Royal Academy of Åbo under the Swedish Empire, and moved to Helsinki in 1828 under the sponsorship of Alexander ...

and later drama at the Finnish Theatre Academy in

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

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, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, on 10 February 2011. The text was translated by Eva Buchwald and the production was 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 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, Dalston, houses two studio ...

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, and it premiered at

Finnish National Opera The Finnish National Opera and Ballet (; ) is a Finnish opera company and ballet company based in Helsinki. It is headquartered in the Opera House on the coast of the Töölönlahti bay in Töölö, which opened in 1993, and is state-owned throu ...

in 2012. Her novel "Baby Jane" has also been adapted into an opera "Baby Jane". The composer is Markus Kärki.

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 of the Finnish capital ...

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

Gulag The Gulag was a system of Labor camp, forced labor camps in the Soviet Union. The word ''Gulag'' originally referred only to the division of the Chronology of Soviet secret police agencies, Soviet secret police that was in charge of runnin ...

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 capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

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 (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

for

Kaija Saariaho Kaija Anneli Saariaho (; ; 14 October 1952 – 2 June 2023) was a Finnish composer based in Paris, France. During the course of her career, Saariaho received commissions from the Lincoln Center for the Kronos Quartet and from IRCAM for the En ...

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

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

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 sit ...

, in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The opera had its world premiere on 3 July 2021 at the Grand Théâtre de Provence as part of the

Festival d'Aix-en-Provence The Festival d'Aix-en-Provence is an annual international music festival which takes place each summer in Aix-en-Provence, principally in July. Devoted mainly to opera, it also includes concerts of orchestral, chamber, vocal and solo instrumenta ...

. The opera was called a "triumph" and a "masterpiece" in the press, and its international reception was overwhelmingly positive.

Le Monde (; ) is a mass media in France, French daily afternoon list of newspapers in France, newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average print circulation, circulation of 480,000 copies per issue in 2022, including ...

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 theatres." The magazine "Transfuge" praised Oksanen's libretto for it remarkable format and chilling efficiency: "Each character has its identity, 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 rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), 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 c ...

, Russian politics, information war, immigration and

Finlandization Finlandization () is the process by which one powerful country makes a smaller neighboring country refrain from opposing the former's foreign policy rules, while allowing it to keep its nominal independence and its own political system. The term ...

. In 2014,

Die Welt (, ) is a German national daily newspaper, published as a broadsheet by Axel Springer SE. is the flagship newspaper of the Axel Springer publishing group and it is considered a newspaper of record in Germany. Its leading competitors are the ...

published her article about

information war Information warfare (IW) is the battlespace use and management of information and communication technology (ICT) in pursuit of a competitive advantage over an opponent. It is different from ''cyberwarfare'' that attacks computers, software, and ...

from the point of view of former

Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc (Combloc), the Socialist Bloc, the Workers Bloc, and the Soviet Bloc, was an unofficial coalition of communist states of Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America that were a ...

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 Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

'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 2008) * 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 (; ) 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 in the nation, they are awarded annually in ...

, 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, Finland, 2009 * The Person of the Year,

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 employees. ''P ...

, Estonia, 2009 * The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, Estonia, 2010 * Nordic Council Literature Prize (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 Recordnews
** 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 21st-century 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