Laila Hirvisaari

Laila Ellen Kaarina Hirvisaari (until 2004 known as Laila Hietamies; born June 7, 1938 in Viipuri) is a Finnish author and writer. By 2008, over four million copies of her works had been sold.

When Laila Hirvisaari was 3 years old, her father Aarne died in the Continuation War between Finland and the Soviet Union, so she has no memories of him. After the war, she and her family were evacuated first to Lappeenranta and later to the western part of Finland.

In 1958 Laila Hirvisaari married Heikki Hietamies who has later also become a well-known Finnish author. He is also known for presenting in the Tangomarkkinat ('Tango fair'), a respected tango competition 1985-1999. By the marriage, Laila Hirvisaari became Laila Hietamies.

Laila Hietamies's first novel Lehmusten kaupunki ('City of the Lindens') was published in 1972 and started a series of novels about Lappeenranta, of which the seventh part was published 2004. Hietamies has written many other novel series, mostly telling about Karelia and the consequences of the wars of Finland in the 1940s. She has written also books about a Russian princess Sonja at the time of the Russian Revolution.

December 9, 2004 Laila Hietamies, along with her three cousins, changed her name back to the maiden name Hirvisaari, and from that on her books are being published under the name of Laila Hirvisaari.

Laila Hirvisaari has been granted many respected literature awards but never the most respected, Finlandia Prize. Her novel about Russian empress ("Minä, Katariina") was nominated for Finlandia Prize in 2011.

Laila Hirvisaari has written 34 novels and lots of short stories and plays. A movie has been filmed based on Hirvisaari's novel Hylätyt talot, autiot pihat ('Abandoned houses, empty yards') 2000. Five of her books have been translated into other languages: