"The women's issue is not only a women's issue, but a humanity issue."
Minna Canth (originally Ulrika Wilhelmina) o.s.Johnson;19 March 1844 - 12 May 1897 was a Finnish writer, journalist, businesswoman and social influencer. As a writer, Canth was one of the pioneers of Finnish realism. She wrote plays, short novels and short stories. She was the first Finnish-language newspaper woman
Canth was a significant influencer of opinion and a mediator of European ideas. Canth promoted the position of women by, among other things, working to improve educational opportunities for girls. She was a pioneer in Finnish-language education
Playwrighter
Minna Canth is above all a master of realistic drama. Her most enduring dramas Anna Liisa (1895), Pastors wife (Papin perhe) (1891) and The Workman's Wife (Työmiehen Vaimo) (1885) deal with responsibility and guilt, conflict between generations and the status of women.
Journalist
Minna Canth was the first newspaper woman to write in Finnish.
In her newspaper articles, the topics she discussed were girls' education and the status of women, alcohol, prostitution, social inequality, poor conditions in alms houses and prisons.
Minna Canth wrote and spoke fervently for girls' education already in the 1870s. In the famous Keski-Suomi magazine editorial “Raising our daughters” (Tyttäriemme kasvatus) (1874), she criticized the fact that girls did not get the skills they needed as mothers, spouses and children's educators at school.
Merchant and entrepreneur
Minna Canth became a merchant and entrepreneur when she took over the shop founded by her father in Kuopio in 1880. The previous year, Canth had become a widow and the guardian of seven minor children. As a widow, she was the full manager of her affairs.
Minna's salon
People interested in literature gathered around Canthi, and Minna's salon was born in Canthi's house called Kanttila.
Many later well-known writers and cultural influencers visited there. The most distant guests came from abroad.
Valuation
Minna Canth is the first Finnish woman to have her own flag day, March 19. The official name of the flag day is Minna Canth day, equality day.
Canthi has been remembered with numerous statues, postage stamps and commemorative coins. Several streets in different Finnish cities have been named after her.
10 Euro coin, 2010
Minna canth in stamp from 1944
VirtualCache of Minna Canth: https://coord.info/GC88ZXW
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minna_Canth
For the Rules of this Open series and the current List of caches see the GC Open #01 listing.