Minna Canth, Minna Canthin in Finnish (1844-1897) was one of Finland’s most influential writers, its first feminist, playwright, and women’s rights activist. From a young age, she got a formal education in various girls’ schools in Kuopio and higher education at Jyväskylä Teacher Seminary, the first school in Finland to offer higher education for women. She got married and had seven children in 14 years. While raising her children, Canth wrote articles and short stories in newspapers in Finnish and Swedish. Her female characters presented the constraints women face due to patriarchal norms and feminist ideas. Sadly, right before the birth of her seventh child, her husband passed away. She continued writing plays, stories, and articles while working in her family store and taking care of her children. In 1885 she wrote one of her most important works, which are still studied today – Työmiehen Vaimo (The Worker’s Wife), and ten years later, the second one – Anna Liisa. Canth passed away from a heart attack at 53 years old. Her work is still relevant and taught today. The statue stands in a park that also bears her name in the center of Kuopio, her hometown (Minna Canthin puisto). It was created in 1937 by Eemil Halonen. Canth is depicted in her forties, sitting and looking down at the passersby. There are two more statues of Canth in Finland. One in Jyväskylä depicts her as a young woman, and another in Tampere, where she was born. Her legacy is celebrated annually on her birthday, March 19, on a Flag flying day in Finland when the national flag is flown nationwide. The first woman who received this honor. Read more...