Sally Salminen

Sally Alina Ingeborg Salminen (April 25, 1906 - July 18, 1976), later Salminen-Dührkopf, was an internationally renowned author from the Åland Islands, Finland.

Biography

Born in Vårdö, Åland, Sally Salminen was the eighth child of twelve. Already as a child she entertained notions of becoming an author, but she considered herself to be too poor and unknowledgeable to succeed as a writer. After her confirmation, she worked in the village grocery store, until she moved to Stockholm, Sweden to work as a maid. During her tenure in Sweden she took correspondent courses and read books on her spare time.

In 1930 Sally and her sister Aili moved to New York City, New York, United States. While in New York, she wrote during her spare time, and it was here she started writing the manuscript for her first (and most famous) novel, "Katrina". Finland-Swedish publisher Holger Schildts Förlag announced in 1936 a writing contest, for which Salminen submitted her manuscript. Her submission won, and "Katrina" was published the same year. The novel depicts the life of an Ostrobothnian woman, Katrina, who moves to Åland following her marriage. "Katrina" became an international success, eventually being translated into more than twenty languages.

Sally Salminen married Danish painter Johannes Dürhkopf in 1940, and relocated to Denmark. Salminen remained a prolific writer, but she was never able to replicate the success of her debut novel, "Katrina". Besides "Katrina", "Prins Efflam" (1953) and "Vid Havet" (1963) are considered her most notable works.

Family

Several of Salminen's siblings are notable authors in their own right. Her sister Aili Nordgren (née Salminen) (1908 - 1995) has written several books. Her younger brother Runar Salminen (1912 - 1988) has released several anthologies of poetry, and elder brother Uno Salminen (1905 - 1991) has written a trilogy of books about the fictional character Erik Sundblom.
Additionally, Aili Nordgren's son Ralf Nordgren (1936 - ) and Uno Salminen's daughter Christina Remmer (1941 - ) have authored several books.Another notable author born on Åland, Johannes Salminen, is however not related to Sally Salminen.

Bibliography

Novels

*"Katrina" (1936)
*"Den långa våren" (1939)
*"På lös sand" (1941)
*"Lars Laurila" (1943)
*"Nya land" (1945)
*"Barndomens land" (1948)
*"Små världar" (1949)
*"Klyftan och stjärnan" (1951)
*"Prins Efflam" (1953)
*"Spår på jorden" (1961)
*"Vid havet" (1963)

Factual

*"Jerusalem" (1970)
*"På färder i Israel" (1971)

Autobiographical

*"Upptäcktsresan" (1966)
*"Min amerikanska saga" (1968)
*"I Danmark" (1972)
*"Världen öppnar sig" (1974)

External links

* [http://www.mhbibl.aland.fi/forf/index.php?id=105&lang=english Biography of Sally Salminen, Library of Mariehamn, Åland]
* [http://home.aland.net/lindbacken/salminensvanner/index.htm Sällskapet Salminens Vänner r.f., now defunct organisation]
* [http://www.compuline.fi/ComDocs/Suomi/uushlp/html/fin-12p2.htm Short biographies of Ralf Nordgren, Aili Nordgren, Runar Salminen and Sally Salminen]