Anni Swan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anni Swan
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Otto Manninen and Anni Manninen in ca. 1906.
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| Born | 4 January 1875 Helsinki, Finland
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| Died | 24 March 1958 (aged 83) Helsinki, Finland
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Anni Emilia Swan (born Anni Swan, later Anni Manninen after marriage) was a famous Finnish writer. She was born in Helsinki on January 4, 1875, and passed away there on March 24, 1958. Anni Swan wrote many wonderful books for kids and teenagers. She also worked as a journalist for children's magazines and translated books. Many people see her as the person who created Finnish literature especially for girls.
Contents
Anni Swan's Life and Work
Anni Swan's father was Carl Gustaf Swan. He was a well-known person in Finnish culture. He even started the first newspaper in Lappeenranta. Anni's mother, Emilia Malin, loved books. She made sure all her nine daughters learned to read fairy tales and stories when they were very young.
The Swan family lived in Lappeenranta from 1884. They stayed there until the early 1900s. Anni went to an all-girls school in Mikkeli. She finished school in 1895 from Helsingin Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu.
Becoming a Teacher and Writer
Anni Swan became an elementary school teacher in Jyväskylä in 1900. Later, she taught in Helsinki from 1901 to 1916. In 1907, she married another writer, Otto Manninen. They had three sons together. Their youngest son, Mauno Manninen, later became a theater director.
Anni Swan's first book was a collection of fairy tales. It was simply called Satuja (which means "Fairy Tales"). This book came out in 1901. Her first book for teenagers was Tottisalmen perillinen (meaning "The Heir of Tottisalmi"). It was published in 1917. This story was partly based on her father's memories. It's about an orphan farm worker named Yrjö. He later finds out he is actually the heir to a big fortune.
Famous Books and Themes
Some of her other well-known books include Iris rukka ("Poor Iris") and Ollin oppivuodet ("Olli's Apprenticeship"). She also wrote Sara ja Sarri ("Sara and Sarri"). In many of her books, Anni Swan wrote about opposites. For example, she showed differences between rich and poor people, or good and bad people. Often, her main characters face challenges. This happens when they suddenly meet people from a very different social class.
The brave and clever main characters in Anni Swan's books for young adults were very important. They became role models for many heroes and heroines in later books for young people.
Journalism and Translations
Anni Swan also worked as a journalist for children's magazines. She wrote for Pääskynen from 1907 to 1918. Then she worked for Nuorten toveri/Sirkka from 1919 to 1945. She also translated many books into Finnish. She translated stories by the Brothers Grimm. She also translated tales about Br'er Rabbit and Br'er Fox. Anni Swan even made the first Finnish translation of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
The Anni Swan Award
Since 1961, there has been a special award named after her. It is called the Anni Swan -mitali (Anni Swan Medal). This award is given out every three years. It honors excellent and high-quality books for young adults. These books must be published in Finland and written in either Finnish or Swedish.
