Sami literature facts for kids

Sami literature has a long history, with writing in the Sami languages dating back to at least 1673. Stories and non-fiction prose in Sami have been written since 1910.

Early Sami Prose Writing

A drawing of reindeer farming from the first known Sami prose book. It was drawn by Johan Turi for his book Muitalus samiid birra.

The very first book of prose (non-fiction writing) in a Sami language appeared in 1910. It was called Muitalus samiid birra, which means "A Story About the Life of the Sami." This important book was written by Johan Turi, who was a wolf hunter.

A rich Swedish businessman named Hjalmar Lundbohm helped pay for the book to be published.

Just two years later, in 1912, the first novel (a long fictional story) in a Sami language was published. This novel was called Beaivi-álgu, which means "Dawn." It was written by Anders Larsen.