''Katrina'' is a

Swedish language Swedish ( ) is a North Germanic language spoken predominantly in Sweden and in parts of Finland. It has at least 10 million native speakers, the fourth most spoken Germanic language and the first among any other of its type in the Nordic countr ...

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

published in 1936, written by

Åland Åland ( fi, Ahvenanmaa: ; ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland since 1920 by a decision of the League of Nations. It is the smallest region of Finland by area and population, with a size of 1 ...

author Sally Salminen. The publishing company Holger Schildts Förlag had announced a writing competition, for which Salminen had submitted her first draft of ''Katrina''. Salminen won first prize, and the publisher agreed to publish the novel. According to a nephew of Salminen, Henrik Salminen, her publisher requested 12 different drafts before they finally published the novel.Comment by Henrik Salminen
in the online edition of

Ålandstidningen ''Ålandstidningen'' or ''Tidningen Åland'' is a Swedish-language newspaper in Åland Åland ( fi, Ahvenanmaa: ; ; ) is an autonomous and demilitarised region of Finland since 1920 by a decision of the League of Nations. It is the smalle ...

, accessed October 31, 2006 The novel was Salminen's first, and became a surprise success, eventually being translated into more than 20 languages, including

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, French and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

.
On her native Åland the novel caused a bit of controversy, as several characters in the novel was perceived as being negative portrayals of locally influential persons on Åland at that time.Biography in English
, accessed October 31, 2006 The novel has also been adapted into a feature film in 1943 by Swedish film director

Gustaf Edgren Gustaf Edgren (1 April 1895 – 10 June 1954) was a Swedish screenwriter, film director and film producer, producer.Historical Dictionary of Scandinavian Cinema p.327 Selected filmography * ''40 Skipper Street'' (1925) * ''First Mate Karlsson's S ...

, and a musical based on the novel, composed by Jack Mattsson, premiered on Åland in 1997.

Plot summary

Katrina is a young Ostrobothnian woman, the oldest of three daughters, being described as pretty, strong, and proud. She marries a young man from Åland, Johan, who promises her an affluent life on Åland. Upon arriving on Åland, however, Katrina discovers Johan has lied to her about his wealth and standing in society. He is, in fact, one of the poorest people in the village and is despised by other people. Katrina goes from living a comfortable life with her family to living in squalor and hardship.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Katrina (Novel) 1936 Swedish novels 20th-century Finnish novels Swedish-language literature Novels set in Finland Finnish novels adapted into films 1936 debut novels Åland