Author: Anni Blomqvist
Swedish original: Maja
Publisher: Söderströms 1970
Number of pages: 118 pp.
Reading material: Swedish original, English synopsis of the series
Rights sold: Estonian, Eesti Raamat; World French, Harper Collins
In Maja (1970) Maja’s faith and courage are put to a strenuous test. One of Maja’s children passes away, and just when things were starting to look up her house is destroyed in a fire just before Christmas. Thankfully Janne’s and her family’s love have more power than she dared to hope, and even these clouds have a silver lining.
The Maja from Stormskär series follows Maja and Janne, who have moved out to remote skerry Stormskäret and are doing their best to make a life for themselves in all the barrenness. But life in the outer archipelago is hard, and sorrows, storm, fires, and bad weather constantly interfere with their plans. In the midst of all their endeavours, the love between Maja and Janne lights their way.
Inspired by Anni Blomqvist’s own family experiences on the Åland Islands, the author combines her great knowledge of customs and traditions with her impeccable way of bringing to life the inner worlds of her characters, making the series an atmospheric, vivid pictures of times gone by. Originally published from 1968 to 1973, the series follows Maja for over 50 years. Her life is forever changed when Janne, a fisherman’s son, asks for her hand in marriage despite barely knowing her. Young Maja is set to start a new life on a remote skerry, and grows into a strong woman capable of dealing with both the good and the bad that life throws at her. The series, now an established Swedish-language classic, has also been adapted into a widely successful movie in 2024.
“The sea, the archipelago, the simple people and their struggle for existence in a purely literal sense are all convincingly portrayed. The dialectal turns of the dialogue are genuine and fresh. The whole book is characterised by an ethical seriousness and a deep familiarity with the harsh conditions of life that only the living poem has.”
– Resonerade Bokkatalogen magazine
“Blomqvist’s narrative flows calmly, lingering on the details but condensing even major events into a few sentences, with a natural clarity.”
– Resonerade Bokkatalogen magazine
About the author
Anni Blomqvist