Märta Tikkanen

Märta Tikkanen was born in Helsinki, Finland. She graduated with a bachelor's degree from the University of Helsinki in 1958 and earned a master's in philosophy in 1961. She was married to Henrik Tikkanen, also a writer. She worked as a journalist and as a teacher of Swedish for several years before turning to writing novels in the Swedish language. She made her debut in 1970 with Nu Imorron (Now Tomorrow). Her novel Män kan inte våldtas (Men Can't Be Raped, 1975) was adapted into a film in 1978. Other works include an autobiographical poetry collection Århundradets kärlekssaga (The Love Story of the Century, 1978); an autobiographical novel, Rödluvan (Little Red Riding Hood, 1986); and a novel about her maternal grandparents, Emma and Uno (2010). She has received a number of awards and honours, including the 2002 Finland Prize from The Swedish Academy.